Nathan's Resume
Email nathan@wolftracker.com
Phone 406 223 2152
P. O. Box 769 Gardiner, Montana 59030-0490
EDUCATION:
Ph.
D. in Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Alberta.
Date of graduation: October 2007.
GPA: 3.90.
M.
S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management, Department of Biology, Center for
Mountain Environments curriculum,
Montana
State
University.
Date
of graduation: January 1996. GPA: 3.91.
B.
S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management, Department of Biology,
Montana
State
University, Bozeman.
Date of Graduation: June 1991. GPA: 3.86
EXPERIENCE:
Instructor
or Naturalist Guide
for outdoor education groups with:
Yellowstone
Association Institute, full-time, part-time, and seasonal, 1996-2007
The
Wild Side, LLC, self-owned adventure travel business, part-time,
2006-present.
Yellowstone
Ecosystem
Research
Center,
full-time and seasonal,
1992-1996
University
of
San Francisco Wildlands Studies
, Asst.
Professor for summer field courses, 2000-2002, 2006
Defenders
of Wildlife, part-time, 2003-2007
Fischer
Outdoor Discoveries LLC, guide, part-time, 2004-2006.
Most programs are 1-10 days, averaging 3 days, at an
equivalent level of 60 hours per week.
Roughly 24 outdoor programs worked per year, 1998-2008.
Work included interpretation for groups of all ages visiting
Yellowstone
on many subjects related to the park's natural and cultural history and
sciences. Skills include
wildlife observation and natural history interpretation, and wilderness
travel (backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking).
Current Wilderness First Responder, first certified in November,
2004.
Elk
Research Supervisor, Ph.D. student,
University
of
Alberta
, in
Yellowstone
Park. Conducted elk ecology
studies, 2002-2005, 60 hrs per week. Supervisor: Mark S. Boyce, Professor,
University
of
Alberta
. Radio-tracked elk from the
ground and air (40+ hours aerial tracking, 2002-2003), 2001-2004.
Supervised 4-6 technicians in the field, trained them to use radio
telemetry, snowshoe and hike to remote field sites, trained them in the
assessment of carcasses for cause of death, age, condition, and other
data. Collected elk browse
information at willow and aspen stands, 2002-2004.
Trained technicians to identify various forage species.
Assisted with capture and handling operations 2003 including
preparing collars and collar kits for capture team, handled samples after
capture. Analyzed data on elk
movements and habitat use, 2002 to present, includes use of MS excel and
other spreadsheets, statistical programs, and GIS applications in ArcView
and ArcMap. Write and prepare
technical reports and scientific articles for peer review.
Articles listed in publications section.
Yellowstone
Gray Wolf Recovery Project,
Yellowstone
National Park
, volunteer field biologist, seasonally 1995-2005.
In 1995, 1996 and 1997 spent 6 winter months working 60 hours per week.
Supervisor, Douglas W. Smith, NPS.
Work included tracking, radio-telemetry from the ground
observation, 500+ hours watching gray wolves interacting with ungulate
species using spotting scopes; field necropsy, located ungulates that died
in the field, investigated cause of death, age, condition and other data
collection; capture and handling; winter camping, 1999-2005, assisted with
winter expedition, two weeks of snow camping to observe wolves and bison
interact in March of each year.
Assistant
Producer
for National Geographic, Landis Wildlife Films, and Partridge Film
Productions. Assisted with the
production of wildlife films including Return
of the Wolf, 1995-1999; The
Otters of Yellowstone, 1996-1997; The Living Edens:
Yellowstone
, 1999 to 2001, Return of the Wolf Pack, 2000-2002.
Work included 60+ hours per week full time, collection of
multimedia like sound, video, and photographs; film editing; preparation
of support documents including scientific articles, and field
reconnaissance.
Also appeared as a naturalist
for
media productions including Nature, Time, ESPN2, National Geographic,
The Jason Project, and BBC assignments, in Yellowstone National
Park, 1995-2002.
River Otter Research Team, field biologist, for
University
of
California-Davis
, searched for otters along
Yellowstone
’s lakeshores and rivers, collected scat samples, collected fish scale
samples from anglers, 1999-2000. Supervisor,
Bill Wengeler.
Alaskan
Moose Research Team,
field biologist for University of Nevada-Reno at
Nelchina
Basin
, south-central
Alaska
, 1995. Lived ”in the bush”, radio-tracked moose from the
ground, radio-tracked moose and wolverines from the air, observed moose
and collected data, operated ATVs.
Mountain
Goat Research Team, M.
S. student at Montana State University, 1991-1994.
Traveled extensively in wilderness in and around
Yellowstone
, designed study, supervised 4 volunteers, sampled vegetation, analyzed
rumen samples, observed mountain goats and bighorn sheep, analyzed data
for publication.
Forest
Carnivore Research Team, field biologist for the University of
California-Santa Cruz and U. S. Forest Service, in the Targhee National
Forest, Idaho, 1995. Tracked carnivores such as marten and
wolverine, used snowmobiles, maintained DNA hair snares, and used GPS
equipment for data collection.
Guanaco
Research Team,
volunteer field biologist for
Iowa
State
University
. Torres Del Paine National Park,
Chile
1993. Included observations, ground radio telemetry and field
necropsy, capture and handling, and coping with foreign language,
bureaucracy and culture.
Teaching
Assistant,
Department of Biology, Montana State University, 1991-1994, 2 semesters of
Zoology and Botany, 1 semester of Anatomy/Physiology.
Wildland
Fire Suppression Team,
firefighter in Yellowstone the summers of 1987, 1988, 1994, and 1996, and
in
California
in 1987. Operated chainsaws, pumps, hose lines, hand tools,
drip-torches, and fusees; also helicopter transport, radio-dispatch and
communications, fire mapping, and fuels monitoring.
Coyote
Research Team, volunteer
field biologist for the Wildlife Research Institute,
Yellowstone
, 1990. Included radio telemetry from the ground and from a fixed
position using the null-peak method, tracking, observations, and field and
lab necropsies.
Resource
Management Ranger,
NPS seasonal employee, Bear and Backcountry Management,
Yellowstone
, 1987-1990. Corresponded with staff and visitors on bear
awareness and human safety issues, mapped sighting reports, and
participated in bear trapping, handling, and release operations, 1987,
1988, and 1990. Traveled by
horseback, boat and backpacking to inventory campsites throughout the
park, 1989.