I am currently the Biodiversity Program Leader for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Conservation Sciences Division. As such,I endeavor to converge plant, animal, and systems ecology. Selected projects include: determining the location and condition of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands in southeast Idaho; a collaborative project with NatureServe and Forest Capital Partners LLC (FCP) to field validate models for selected rare animal species on FCP lands; and, among others, working with adjacent northwest states to support the Northwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (NWReGAP). In addition, I work with the Idaho BLM Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program to evaluate abandoned mines for their suitability to and use by bats. I recently led the development of Idaho's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS; available at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov) and continue to serve as technical lead for ongoing updates and revisions. I served as Vice President and President of the Idaho Chapter of The Wildlife Society from 2004 to 2008, chair the Idaho Bat Working Group, and serve as Idaho's representative to the Western Bat Working Group. I received a B.S. in Biology from the University of California at Riverside, a M.S. in Wildlife Resources from the University of Idaho, and am completing a Ph.D. at the University of Idaho, where I studied the ecology and metapopulation biology of White-headed Woodpeckers. My professional interests include bat community ecology, avian ecology, captive care and rehabilitation of insectivorous bats, geostatistical modeling, conservation planning, and critical thinking.

Rita Dixon, Ph.D
Biodiversity Program Leader
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
208-287-2735
email
Idaho Department of Fish and Game