Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

The Precarious State of Moose in Vermont and the Challenges of Managing Wildlife Under Climate Change, a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Jed Murdoch, Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program, University of Vermont.

The moose is an iconic species of the Northern Forest and important ecologically, economically, and culturally.  In recently years, moose populations in the Northeast have experienced periodic epizootics (>50% mortality) largely due to the effects of winter ticks, which have proliferated due to warming climate conditions.  These ticks can accumulate on individual moose in the tens of thousands and create new management challenges.  Can and should moose be sustained in the Vermont landscape?  How should we approach broader management of species under changing climate conditions?  This talk will explore these questions and summarize the results of a 4-year study on moose in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Jed is a wildlife biologist and faculty member in the Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. Jed’s research focuses on the behavior and ecology of wildlife, emphasizing their management and conservation. Much of his career has focused on large mammals, including carnivores and ungulates, and explored aspects of their sociality, demography, food habits, ranging behavior, and activity patterns.

His work also explores how human activities affect wildlife. For example, how do activities such as landscape development, climate change, and hunting or poaching affect wildlife populations? He uses a combination of field studies, experimentation, and modeling to address these questions in various regions, including Vermont, Africa, and Asia.

Jed is currently serving as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Rubenstein School. He is also a fellow at the UVM Gund Institute for the Environment, chair of the Board of Trustees at The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, and chair of the Vermont Scientific Advisory Group for Mammals.