George and Betsy Coates Fellow in Habitat Research, Pursuing a Ph.D. in Wildlife Science at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute

Ocelot Occupancy and Conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Jason is originally from the suburbs of northern New Jersey.  He received a B.S. in Conservation and Wildlife Management from Delaware Valley University and a M.S. in Forestry with an emphasis in Forest Wildlife Management from Stephen F. Austin State University.  Over the last nine years, he has either conducted or assisted with research on 20 North American carnivore species as well as other large and small mammals.  His research philosophy focuses on using traditional methods (e.g. live capture and telemetry), remote sensing and non-invasive survey techniques to explore different aspects of carnivore ecology, conservation and management.  He has broad research interests that include wildlife-habitat relationships, spatial ecology, urban wildlife ecology, and population dynamics. 

Jason’s doctoral research is examining different aspects of ocelot occupancy and conservation in South Texas. He quantified the change and fragmentation of woody cover in the Lower Rio Grande Valley from 1984-2050 to identify current and future implications of ocelot recovery. Jason is analyzing seven years of remote trail camera data to examine how macro- and micro-habitat factors influences ocelot initial occupancy, colonization and localized extinction and conducting a separate analysis determine co-occurrence patterns with bobcats and coyotes.  Finally, he will use GPS and satellite collar data to develop seasonal habitat suitability models for the northern “Willacy” ocelot population.