Western Alumnus Sam Cushman to Speak on Landscape Genetics March 10

Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment will host Sam Cushman from the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station for a discussion on landscape genetics in carnivore conservation as part of Huxley’s Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 10 in Communications Facility 110.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Landscape genetics is an interdisciplinary field that integrates approaches from landscape ecology and population genetics to explore how geographical and environmental features structure genetic variation in both individuals and populations. The current focus of the field is on assessing how landscapes facilitate the movement of organisms, a concept known as landscape connectivity.

In his Speaker Series talk titled “Applications of Landscape Genetics, Connectivity Modeling, and Carnivore Conservation,” Cushman will present applications of landscape genetic analysis and connectivity modeling to evaluate population status and alternative conservation plans for several carnivores, including American marten, stone marten, pine marten, American black bear, European brown bear, snow leopard, African lion, and clouded leopard.

Cushman is a research landscape ecologist at the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, and director of the station’s Center for Landscape Science. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Ecology at the Evergreen State College, a master’s degree in Terrestrial Ecology at Western Washington University, and a doctorate in Landscape Ecology at the University of Massachusetts. He currently works on a range of topics including landscape genetics, wildlife habitat relationships, forest, fire, and disturbance ecology.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2554 or Jen.VanderWeyden@wwu.edu.