Julie A. Savidge

Associate Professor of Wildlife Biology

Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology
&
Graduate Degree Program in Ecology

Colorado State University

Ft. Collins, CO 80523-1474
Office: (970) 491-6510
FAX: (970) 491-5091
Email: jsavidge@cnr.colostate.edu

Education:                                                                    

B.S. in Zoology, Colorado State University, 1975
M.S. in Wildland Resource Science, University of California, Berkeley, 1977
Ph.D. in Biology, University of Illinois, 1986

Research Interests

My students and I have worked with a variety of different taxa and in several different ecosystems.  A major focus of my current research is on the impacts and management of exotic species.  Several projects are underway as part of a cooperative project with the USGS/Fort Collins Science Center on the biology and control of brown treesnakes on Guam.  Other research has centered on determinants of biodiversity and factors affecting habitat selection and/or reproductive success of sensitive species.   

Courses Taught

At the undergraduate level, I teach FW 104 Wildlife Ecology & Conservation (spring), FW 260 Principles of Vertebrate Management (spring), and FW 477 Habitat for Wildlife/FW 677 Wildlife Habitat Management (offered in fall of odd years). 

Current Research by Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Research Scientists

Lardner, B., Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Biology and control of the Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam.

Mason, L., M.S. - Trailing behavior of the Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis).

Williamson, M. A., M.S. - Modeling avian response to hydro-axe removal of pinyon-juniper woodlands.
 

Completed Graduate Student Research

Desmond, M. J.  1991.  Ecological aspects of burrowing owl nesting strategies in the Nebraska Panhandle.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

King, J. W.  1991.  Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on selected wildlife populations in southeast Nebraska.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  
   
Cramer, T. A.  1993.  Limnological and habitat influences on wetland bird communities in the Nebraska Sandhills.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

Delisle, J. M.  1995.  Avian use of fields enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in southeast Nebraska.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

Desmond, M. J.  1997.  Evolutionary history of the genus Speotyto:  a genetic and morphological perspective.  Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. 

Ritter, M. W.  1997.  Wetland habitat characteristics and wetland use by Mariana common moorhen on Guam.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

Vercauteren, T. L.  1998.  Local scale analysis of sandhill crane use of lowland grasslands along the Platte River, Nebraska.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

Converse, S. J.  1999.  Habitat use and effects of harvest on ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata).  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

Ekstein, R. T.  1999.  Factors affecting burrowing owl distribution at multiple spatial scales.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

Griebel, R. L.  2000.  Ecological and physiological factors affecting nesting success of burrowing owls in Buffalo Gap National Grassland.  M.S. Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. 

Gubanyi, J. A.  2001.  Effects of high deer abundance on forests in Eastern Nebraska.  Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.  

Gragg, J.  2004.  Manipulating rodent density to alter behavior of brown treesnakes.  M.S. Thesis, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO.  

Jehle, G.  2004.  Avian response to prescribed fire in the upland shrub/ponderosa pine system of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  M.S. Thesis, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO.  

Boyarski V. L.  2005.  Trappability and activity of juvenile brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam.  M.S. Thesis, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO. 

Estelle, V. B.  2005.  Assessing the potential of an introduced crab predator to affect migratory and wintering shorebirds.  Ph.D. Dissertation, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO. (co-advised with Dr. B. Noon)

Sachtleben, T.  2005.  Predation and nest success of forest birds in native and non-native habitat on Saipan, Mariana Islands.  M.S. Thesis, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO.  

Yackel Adams, A. A.  2005.  Population demography of Lark Buntings:  post-fledging survival, fecundity, and breeding decisions.  Ph.D. Dissertation, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO. (co-advised with Dr. S. Skagen)
 

Positions In My Lab:

As funding is available, I am recruiting graduate students (M.S., Ph.D.) for my brown treesnake (BTS) project on Guam. Although not critical, preference will be given to students that have had previous herp experience.  I am willing to entertain research ideas and particularly encourage this from prospective Ph.D. students. All research must relate in some way to control of this exotic predator. If you would like to read up on the BTS, you might look at my paper in Ecology 1987, 68:660-668 or papers by Fritts and Rodda (Annu. Rev. Ecol Syst 1998. 29:113-40 or Bioscience 1997. 47:565-574). Department requirements include at least a 3.0 GPA (most students have considerably higher) and a 1200 V & Q score on the GRE.  If you would like to apply, please complete and send in the department's preapplication form.

Relevant links:
FWB Graduate Student Information
CSU Graduate School
 

Sample of Publications and Book Chapters

Boyarski, V. L., G. H. Rodda, and J. A. Savidge.  2007. Evaluation of harmonic radar for detecting locomotor activity.  Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1704-1707.

Boyarski, V.L., J.A. Savidge, and G. H. Rodda.  2007.  Brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) trappability: Attributes of the snake, environment and trap.  Applied Herpetology, in press.

Christy, M. T., C. S. Clark, D. E. Gee II, D. Vice, D. S. Vice, M. P. Warner, C. L. Tyrrell, G. H. Rodda, and J. A. Savidge.  2007.  Recent records of alien anurans on the Pacific island of Guam.  Pacific Science 61:469-484.

Christy, M. T., J. A. Savidge, and G. H. Rodda.  2007.  Multiple pathways for invasion of anurans on a Pacific island.  Biodiversity and Distributions 13:598-607.

Gragg, J. E., G. H. Rodda, J. A. Savidge, G. C. White, K. Dean-Bradley, and A. R. Ellingson.  2007.  Response of brown treesnakes to reduction of their rodent prey.  Journal of Wildlife Management 71:2311-2317.

Griebel, R. L., and J. A. Savidge.  2007.  Factors influencing burrowing owl reproductive performance in unfragmented shortgrass prairie.  Journal of Raptor Research 41:212-221.

Gubanyi, J. A., J. A. Savidge, S. E. Hygnstrom, K. C. VerCauteren, G. W. Garabrandt.  2007.  Impact of deer density on vegetation in natural areas in southeastern Nebraska.  Natural Areas Journal, in press.

Lehman, R. N., P. L. Kennedy, and J. A. Savidge.  2007.  The state of the art in raptor electrocution research: a global review. Biological Conservation 136:159-174.

Rodda, G. H., and J. A. Savidge.  2007.  Biology and impact of Pacific Islands invasive species:  Boiga irregularis, the Brown Treesnake.  Pacific Science 61:307-324.

Rodda, G. H., J. A. Savidge, C. L. Tyrrell, M. T. Christy, and A. E. Ellingson.  2007.  Size bias in visual searches and trapping of brown treesnakes on Guam.  Journal of Wildlife Management 71:656-661.

Savidge, J. A., F. J. Qualls, and G. H. Rodda.  2007.  Reproductive biology of Brown Treesnakes, Boiga irregularis, during their colonization of Guam and in comparison to their native range.  Pacific Science 61:187-195.

Yackel Adams, A. A., S. K. Skagen, and J. A. Savidge.  2007.  Population-specific demographic estimates provide insights into declines of Lark Buntings (Calamospiza melanocorys).  Auk124:578-593.

Jehle, G., J. A. Savidge, and N. B. Kotliar.  2006.  Green-tailed Towhee response to prescribed fire in mountain shrubland.  Condor 108:634-646.

Sachtleben, T., J. L. Reidy, and J. A. Savidge.  2006.  A description of the first Micronesian Honeyeater (Myzomela rubratra saffordi) nests found on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.  Wilson Bulletin 118:309-315.

Yackel Adams, A. A., S. K. Skagen, and J. A. Savidge.  2006.  Modeling post-fledging survival of lark buntings in response to ecological and biological factors.  Ecology 87:178-188.

Converse, S. J., J. B. Iverson, and J. A. Savidge.  2005.  Demographics of an ornate box turtle population experiencing minimal human-induced disturbances.  Ecological Applications 15:2171-2179.

Jehle, G., A. A. Yackel Adams, J. A. Savidge and S. K. Skagen. 2004. Nest survival estimation: a review of alternatives to the Mayfield Estimator. Condor 106:472-484.

Converse, S. J. and J. A. Savidge. 2003. Ambient temperature, activity, and microhabitat use by ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata). Journal of Herpetology 37:665-670.

Griebel, R. L. and J. A. Savidge. 2003. Factors related to body condition of nestling burrowing owls in Buffalo Gap National Grassland, South Dakota. Wilson Bulletin 115:121-124.

Converse, S. J., J. B. Iverson, and J. A. Savidge.  2002.  Activity, reproduction and overwintering behavior of ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata) in the Nebraska Sandhills.  American Midland Naturalist 148:416-422.

Desmond, M. J., T. J. Parsons, T. O. Powers, and J. Savidge.  2001.  An initial examination of mitochondrial DNA structure in burrowing owl populations.  Raptor Research 35:274-281.

Beck, R. E., Jr. and J. A. Savidge.  2000.  The Mariana Crow. Pages 191-195 in R. Reading and B. Miller, editors.  Endangered animals: conflicting issues.  Greenwood Press, Westport, CN.

Desmond, M. J., J. A. Savidge, and K. M. Eskridge.  2000.  Correlations between burrowing owl and black-tailed prairie dog declines:  a 7-year analysis.  Journal of Wildlife Management 64:1067-1075. 

Desmond, M. J. and  J. A. Savidge.  1999. Satellite burrow use by burrowing owl chicks and its influence on nest fate.  Pages 128-130 in P. D. Vickery and J. R. Herkert, editors.  Ecology and conservation of grassland birds of the western hemisphere.  Studies in Avian Biology 19, Cooper Ornithological Society.    

Ritter, M. and J. A. Savidge.  1999.  A predictive model of wetland habitat use on Guam by endangered Mariana common moorhens.  Condor 101:282-287.

Best, L., H. Campa, K. Kemp, R. Robel, M. Ryan, J. Savidge, H. Weeks, and S. Winterstein.  1997.  Bird abundance and nesting in CRP fields and cropland in the Midwest:  a regional approach.  Wildlife Society Bulletin 25:864-877.

Best, L., H. Campa, K. Kemp, R. Robel, M. Ryan, J. Savidge, H. Weeks, and S. Winterstein.  1997.  Avian abundance in CRP and crop fields during winter in the Midwest.  American Midland Naturalist 139:311-324.

Delisle, J. and J. A. Savidge.  1997.  Avian use and vegetation characteristics of Conservation Reserve Program fields.  Journal Wildlife Management 61:318-325.

Delisle, J. and J. A. Savidge.  1996.  Reproductive success of grasshopper sparrows in relation to edge.  Prairie Naturalist 28:107-113.

Desmond, M. J. and J. A. Savidge.  1996.  Factors influencing burrowing owl (Speotyto cunicularia) nest densities and numbers in western Nebraska.  American Midland Naturalist 136:143-148.

Seibert, T., J. Sidle, and J. A. Savidge.  1996.  Inexpensive aerial videography acquisition, analysis, and reproduction.  Wetlands 16:245-250.

Desmond, M., J. Savidge, and T. Seibert.  1995.  Spatial patterns of burrowing owl (Speotyto cunicularia) nests within black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) towns.  Canadian Journal Zoology 73:1375-1379.

King, J. and J. Savidge.  1995.  Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on selected wildlife in southeast Nebraska.  Wildlife Society Bulletin 23:377-385.

Savidge, J. A., L. Sileo, and L. M. Siegfried.  1992.  Was disease involved in the decimation of Guam's avifauna?  Journal of Wildlife Diseases 28:206-214.

Savidge, J. A.  1991.  Population characteristics of the introduced brown tree snake on Guam.  Biotropica 23:294-300.

Griffin, C. R., C. M. King, J. A. Savidge, and F. and J. B. Cruz.  1989.  Effects of introduced predators on island birds:  contemporary case histories from the Pacific.  Proc. XIX ICBP World Conference, Canada.

Savidge, J. A.  1988.  Food habits of Boiga irregularis, an introduced predator on Guam.  Journal of Herpetology 22:275-282.

Savidge, J. A. and T. F. Seibert.  1988.  A camera device for monitoring avian nest predation at artificial nests.  Journal Wildlife Management 52:291-294.

Fritts, T. H., N. J. Scott, Jr., and J. A. Savidge.  1987.  Activity of the arboreal brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam as determined by electrical outages.  The SNAKE 19:51-58.

Savidge, J. A.  1987.  Extinction of an island forest avifauna by an introduced snake.  Ecology 68:660-668.

Savidge, J. A.  1984.  Guam:  paradise lost for wildlife.  Biological Conservation 30:305-317.