Gage Grantham
Stephen F. Austin State University
Graduate Teaching Assistant/ Masters of Science in Forestry/ Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture
Capturing the effects of forest structure and composition in restored endangered species habitats on small mammal communities in East Texas.
Pursuing a career in natural resource management has always been a dream of mine, probably since I could walk. Growing up in New Braunfels, Texas, I had the availability of an amplitude of freshwater sources and any terrestrial habitats that my exploring curiosity could fathom. Enjoying those resources lit a fire within to conserve and protect those resources, which is why I pursued a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University and then further a M.S. in Forestry at SFA.
My thesis focuses on understanding how sites with different vegitation compositions and similar management histories affect small mammal diversity and occurrence patterns. The study and data collection will occur in the Davy Crockett National Forest pine stands managed for red-cockaded woodpeckers (RCW, Picoides borealis). Surveys for small mammals will occur across pine stands of varying species, with a mulched and unmulched treatment area. Those treatment areas will be surveyed to provide insights into the role of forest restoration practices on a low trophic level species.
