Graduate Research Assistant for Borderlands Research. M.S. Candidate in Natural Resource Management

Chapter I: Correlation Among Demographic Rates and The Influence of Catastrophic Weather Events on Montezuma quail in the Trans-Pecos of Texas

Chapter II: Montezuma quail Habitat Preference as an Indicator for Invasive Exotic Feral Pig Disturbance and Presence in the Davis Mountains

My name is Maya Ressler. Growing up, my family and I were constantly backpacking and learning from our wild spaces. After visiting Big Bend National Park while in high school, I truly fell in love with the ecology and the amazing biodiversity of the Chihuahuan Desert in west Texas. Following my graduation from Texas State University studying Wildlife Biology, I accepted a Graduate Research Assistantship with Sul Ross State University. At Sul Ross, I’m studying Montezuma quail in the Davis Mountains. 

Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) occur in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Montezuma quail are a cryptic species, staying hidden within pine-oak woodland habitats. Texas Parks and Wildlife has classified them as a game bird with no open season in Texas. In 2003, it was proposed to have an open hunting season for Montezuma quail in Texas but was withdrawn due to a lack of scientific data. Although our understanding of Montezuma quail ecology and management has increased, more information about their populations and what affects their numbers are needed. One of my objectives is to model how heavy snowfall during the winter affects their survival in the higher elevations of west Texas.  My other objective is to study the relationship between Montezuma quail and invasive Feral Pigs in order to estimate potential competition avenues and their effects on Montezuma quail populations. known.