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Check out what research 'looks' like in the Disturbance and Biodiversity Lab! Click photos to read captions.

Gavin, Jami Belt, and Lucas Moyer-Horner snap a selfie on a hike to Triple Divide Pass in Glacier National Park. Bright yellow and orange crustose lichen cover a rock surface near a mountain summit in Glacier National Park. Hawkeyes assemble! First Jones Lab group photo in our new home in SEES! Dani Owens kicks off her Master’s degree defense at the University of New Mexico. Congrats to Dani! Gavin runs into Dave Conrads, director of the Iowa Raptor Project, outside of Macbride Hall on UI's campus When the field truly is your office! Ceeanna Zulla programs a nest video camera before she climbs the tree (with helmet!) to set it up. Graduate student Elizabeth Ng (left) and staff scientist Ceeanna Zulla (right) band and GPS-tag a Mexican spotted owl. Deep inside the 2022 Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire in northern New Mexico – the largest fire in state history. Note the burned trees on the far slope. Graduate students Ananke Krishnan (left) and Elizabeth Ng (right) work together to band and GPS-tag a Mexican spotted owl in the Jemez mountains. Graduate student Elizabeth Ng holds a Mexican spotted owl after capturing, banding, and attaching a tail-mounted GPS tag. How many spotted owls can you spot? Master Dani! Dani Owens with Gavin right after she successfully defended her MSc degree! Are you afraid of heights? Ceeanna isn’t! Ceeanna Zulla sets up an infrared nest video camera to see what’s going on inside an owl nest. Pure joy! Graduate student Lucy Heflin moments after releasing her first-ever Mexican spotted owl as part of her Master’s studies. Never a bad day when your job is to work in the woods with friends! Dana Reid with collaborators Jack Williams and Paige Handley (L-R). Dana and Gavin working together to attach a mini-GPS unit to a Mexican spotted owl. Jones Lab friends and collaborators on a site visit to Bandelier National Monument. Gavin demonstrating the proper ergonomic owl-watching technique Sunrise over the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque. Graduate student Ananke Krishnan handles a Mexican spotted owl during banding. Lab + friends happy hour at our favorite watering hole – Thirsty Eye Brewing! Long-time collaborator Sarah Sawyer and Gavin at a workshop in Bozeman, MT in 2026. Friends and collaborators at Thirsty Eye Brewing in Albuquerque. Can you spot the spotted owl? A Mexican spotted owl nest core area in the Jemez mountains. Legendary ecologist Craig Allen demonstrates the posture and flexibility required to brace yourself for spotted owl viewing! Labbers are always down for a hang! Gavin got to catch up with emeritus labber Jessalyn Ayars when visiting Oregon State University for a seminar. Spying on owls. Graduate student Elizabeth Ng at a campground in Bandelier National Monument. Gavin poses in front of a cliff wall with characteristic Bandelier Tuff “swiss cheese” potholes, which sometimes are perfect homes for Mexican spotted owls! The University of Iowa – home of the Jones Lab starting Fall 2026! Dr. Kari Norman sketching ideas on the whiteboard – that eventually led to a paper! Gavin got to visit Gothic, CO in Fall 2025 for a workshop in forest climate adaptation. Nothing hits like an afternoon nap. Gavin handling a just-captured Mexican spotted owl in the Jemez mountains, New Mexico. A moonlit night by the fire with colleagues during a workshop at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO. A packed house for a Biology Department seminar by Dani Owens at University of New Mexico. Sharing a meal with colleagues – new and old – during a seminar visit to Oregon State University. Dramatic sun-soaked cliffs in the Jemez mountains. Dani Owens prepares to deploy a microclimate sensor in a talus patch to understand pika thermal exposure in Glacier National Park. A day above the clouds in Glacier National Park. Exhausted but cheerful hikers after a long day traversing the Sandia Crest trail on the Cibola National Forest! In the American Southwest, Mexican spotted owls often occupy rocky canyonlands with steep cliff faces. Dani Owens presents her work at a Biology Department seminar at University of New Mexico. Dani Owens above the clouds on the summit of Mt. James in Glacier National Park. A stunning view of the long ridge of the Sandia Mountains from mile ~18 of the Sandia Crest trail just east of Albuquerque. The Dragoons – a small rocky mountain range in the Madrean Sky Islands in southeastern Arizona. Gavin speaking at the National Academy of Sciences in Irvine, CA as part of his selection as a 2025 Kavli Fellow Kari Norman descends the ridge from Mt. James in Glacier National Park. Field technician Michael Cushing nears a summit crag in Glacier National Park, MT. Dr. Caroline Cappello looks for pinyon jays. Walking through a snow-dusted ponderosa pine forest on the Mogollon Rim in search of spotted owls. Dr. Brian Harvey (University of Washington) with Gavin at the National Academy of Sciences Beckman Center in Irvine, CA. Lab goals? Look at that collaboration! Lab photo op while sleuthing for pinyon jays northeast of Albuquerque. Jami Belt (National Park Service) and Dani Owens take a lunch break during a pika survey in Glacier National Park, MT. Exploring canyonland bird habitat in the Chiricahua Mountains near the Arizona-New Mexico border. On their day off, pika-teers ascend “Thin Man’s Pleasure” en route to the summit of Mt. Wilbur in Glacier National Park, MT. Another day at the office in Glacier National Park, MT. Did you know pikas can levitate? Gavin was honored with the Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award from the American Ornithological Society in 2024. Dani Owens makes a cameo as part of National Park Service promotion of our group’s pika project. Rock-hopping along the edge of an alpine lake in Glacier National Park, MT. Dana Reid points to a nearby tree where a Mexican spotted owl nest has been found. Sometimes, it really does feel like you’ve ascended into the heavens in Glacier National Park, MT. Dani Owens traverses a slope in front of a sea of peaks and clouds in Glacier National Park, MT. Field technician Michael Cushing doesn’t need a freeze-dried backcountry dinner, he’ll catch his own! August is huckleberry season in Glacier National Park, MT! Dr. Kari Norman traverses a talus field in search of pika sign. Can you spot her? It’s owl o’clock on the Tonto National Forest in northern Arizona. Up, up, up! Team Pika ascends a steep talus field in Glacier National Park, MT. Is this field work or Lord of the Rings? The Pika crew on a wet and cold backcountry trip in Glacier National Park, MT. Chief Mountain, or “Ninaistako”, is sacred to the Blackfeet people and makes up part of their creation story. Love is love! Mutual preening is a pair-bonding activity in many birds, including Mexican spotted owls. Researchers of the round table! Labbers gather in Gavin’s office at RMRS for a close-quarters lab meeting. Co-authors, report! Anu, Jessalyn, and Gavin pose with Jessalyn’s poster at the TWS Western Section meeting in Rohnert Park, CA. We’ve got a tree hugger! Collaborator Dr. Andrew Stillman sizes up a scorched ponderosa pine in the 2022 Black fire (Gila National Forest). A perfect reflective moment at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico. Labbers, friends, and pups head out for a hike on the Cibola National Forest just outside of Albuquerque. Labbers and friends out for a happy hour at Canteen in Albuquerque. Is it supposed to come like that? It can’t be fieldwork without a few mishaps! Dr. Kate McGinn contemplates the meaning of life and a conceptual diagram she’s just sketched on the lab whiteboard. Arianna Bowman (high school intern) releases a Mexican spotted owl on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Labbers and friends (mostly University of Wisconsin colleagues) enjoying a homemade taco dinner at TWS Western Section in Rohnert Park, CA. The pika crew descends from the summit of Mt. Cleveland toward Stoney Indian Peaks on a hazy day in Glacier National Park, Montana. The greatest pit toilet on Earth? At Boulder Pass, Glacier National Park, Montana. A sun-soaked snack break during a lab hike in the Sandia Mountains. Gavin holds an adult Mexican spotted owl as it is banded by Nick Kryshak. A reunion dinner with the best graduate school cohort ever (!) during Gavin’s visit to CU-Boulder for the 2024 EEB seminar. Dana poses with a beautiful sunset in one of the most remote areas of New Mexico. Dr. Kate McGinn presents her research on owl community response to fire at the Raptor Research Foundation meeting in Albuquerque. Burnt orange skies from wildfire smoke give a surreal backdrop for pika surveys. Lexie and Maloree hike in the foreground. Ronan Hart showing off their Google Earth Engine wizardry in the lab. Arianna Bowman (high school intern) poses with a poster summarizing her summer research project. It’s always a good day when you get to hang out with long-time collaborator, mentor, and all-around good dude Rocky Gutiérrez! An office with a view? No thanks – we’ll do pika surveys in Glacier National Park instead! he pika crew descends a class 4 section of Bishop’s Cap in Glacier National Park, Montana. Now THAT’s what I call hay, volume TBD. Fresh hay collected by pikas will cure in the sun and provide winter rations. The pika crew on the west slopes of Goat Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana. Team Pika 2023! L-R Lexie, Maloree, Kathy, Lucas, Gavin, Alyssa, Dani, and Jessalyn. Gavin captures an adult Mexican spotted owl on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, as part of a GPS tracking study. Gavin poses at the summit of Bishop’s Cap in Glacier National Park, Montana. Baby Mexican spotted owls! The pika crew (Lexie, Jessalyn, Dani, and Maloree, L-R) embarking on an 8-day backcountry trip to look for pikas in Glacier National Park, Montana. Gavin with Dr. Kathy Zeller at Triple Divide Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana. Have you ever seen a rainbow from above? Gavin on the summit of Ipasha Peak in Glacier National Park, Montana. Maloree on her way to getting a mullet at the hands of Jessalyn. Dr. Lucas Moyer-Horner looking down on Margaret Lake from the summit ridge of Ipasha Peak in Glacier National Park, Montana. Dani Owens looks to Medicine Grizzly lake and Razoredge Mountain on the way to Triple Divide Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana. The pika crew traverses alpine country near Piegan Peak in Glacier National Park, Montana. Excitement over excrement! Gavin collects pika poop for genetic connectivity analysis in Glacier National Park, Montana. Ghost forest in Sunrift Gorge, Glacier National Park, Montana. Backpacking to Red Eagle Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana. No better post-backcountry meal than Serrano’s in East Glacier! Jessalyn trying to get a whiff of cell service near the pika team cabin. Fear of heights? Studying pikas in Glacier National Park may NOT be for you! Lucas becoming his Animorph during a bushwack in northeastern Glacier National Park, Montana. Gavin hiding from the wind on the east side of the summit of Goat Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana. Jessalyn and Gavin lead a descent from the summit of Mt. Reynolds in Glacier National Park, MT. Team Pika (Maloree, Jessalyn, Dani, Lucas, Lexie, L-R) taking a breather on their way to a summit in Glacier National Park, Montana. Snack time on the trail in Glacier National Park, Montana. Maloree with a Boreal Toad while Rat LePika looks on from her shoulder pouch in Glacier National Park, Montana. The pika crew walking the long ridge between Pollock Mountain and Bishop’s Cap above the Garden Wall in Glacier National Park, Montana. Team Pika shuffling the deck for a rousing night of Sheeps-head in the cabin. Jessalyn Ayars, Maloree Barbera, Dani Owens, and Lexie Bingman pause for a photo at the summit of Bishop’s Cap in Glacier National Park, Montana. Pika team mascot Rat LePika on another summit cairn – the big showoff! Ceeanna Zulla – on her way to catch an owl – looks for a route to descend the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona. Ruby the Rubicon rests near team pika headquarters. Jones lab hike in the Sandia Foothills in Albuquerque (Gavin, Josh, Marilyn, Jessalyn, Arianna, Ronan, Anna, L-R). A mini-GPS tag that will be mounted on the tail of a Mexican spotted owl as part of a movement ecology study. Gavin holds an adult Mexican spotted owl on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. GPS tracking data from this bird will be used to inform habitat conservation. Michaela Gustafson prepares to release an adult Mexican spotted owl that she just captured as part of a GPS tracking study. Ceeanna Zulla organizes and assembles color leg bands that will be used to uniquely identify Mexican spotted owls. Jones labbers at an Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game. Gavin attaches a GPS transmitter to a Mexican spotted owl on the Tonto National Forest in northern Arizona while Ceeanna Zulla holds the bird. Gavin won two awards from the Rocky Mountain Research Station in 2022 – ‘Best Scientific Publication’ and ‘Early Career Scientist’ awards. What an honor! Gavin and Michaela sit in the woods and wait for the owls to wake up. Gavin holds an adult female Mexican spotted owl on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, while Nick Kryshak prepares his bird banding equipment. Shaula Hedwall, Becky Kirby, and Jack Williams on the Sitgreaves National Forest during a field trip. Ceeanna Zulla and Nick Kryshak look on as Shaula Hedwall marks up a map during a Mexican spotted owl survey coordination meeting in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The Jones lab hosts Dr. Mike Schwartz (far left) during a visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ceeanna Zulla holds fragments of a Mexican spotted owl pellet on the Tonto National Forest, Arizona. Shaula Hedwall examines bear tracks on the Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona. Lunch is best when eaten on the forest floor! Nick Kryshak places a uniquely colored leg band on an adult Mexican spotted owl, so that future surveyors can identify the bird from afar. Joining Dr. Pete Fulé’s class field trip to Mexican spotted owl habitat on the Coconino National Forest in Arizona. Nothing better than reuniting with colleagues and friends – at the 2022 Wildlife Society meeting in Spokane, Washington. Gavin, Ceeanna, and Dana (L-R) on the Coconino National Forest, Arizona. Hiking in a Mexican spotted owl Protected Activity Center on the Coconino National Forest, Arizona. Field trip to the Sacramento Ranger District on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Jessalyn Ayars presents her research during a symposium at the 2022 Wildlife Society meeting in Spokane, Washington. Gavin, Jessalyn Ayars, and Leah White (L-R) during a poster session at the 2022 Wildlife Society meeting in Spokane, Washington. Taking flight! Gavin with Andrea Chavez and Josh Brunk in the Manzano Mountain Wilderness in New Mexico. Ceeanna Zulla ‘twinning’ with the fall foliage on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Posing by a waterfall during a field trip to the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Ceeanna Zulla shades her eyes from the sun on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Listening to Shaula Hedwall discuss Mexican spotted owl habitat on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Paige Handley, a biologist with the Cibola National Forest, deploys an acoustic recording unit as part of a collaboration with Rocky Mountain Research Station. Looking at landscape-level fuels reduction treatments in Mexican spotted owl habitat on the Kaibab National Forest, Arizona. Gavin and Shaula Hedwall snag a selfie during a Mexican Spotted Owl Leaders Forum meeting in Arizona. Jessalyn going “cuckoo” over new results! If you’re in the Jones lab long enough, you might just turn into Smokey Bear! Visiting with colleagues from the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Montana. Andrea Chavez, the Forest Biologist for the Cibola National Forest, New Mexico, pauses on the crest of the Manzano Mountains. When we said we wanted to study the effects of wildfire, we didn’t mean it like this! Jessalyn Ayars poses with a recently deployed acoustic recording unit on the Black Range Ranger District of the Gila National Forest. Jones labbers and RMRS friends look on as Lisa Bryant discusses the role of the Science Applications and Communications staff team. Jack Williams lectures a captive audience of Mexican spotted owl biologists on the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Sarah Sawyer, USFS National Wildlife Ecologist, going all-out to make sure an acoustic recording unit is secured to a tree on the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Paige and Andrea pose with the first-ever acoustic recording unit deployed on the Cibola National Forest as part of a collaboration with RMRS. Ron Maes and Jack Williams deploy an acoustic recording unit on the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Acoustic recording units are ‘go for launch’ as part of a pilot acoustic monitoring study in Arizona and New Mexico. Close-up of a Cornell SwiftOne acoustic recording unit that was deployed on the Kabiab National Forest as part of a study of bird communities. Gavin holds a Madrean alligator lizard on the Gila National Forest, New Mexico. Gavin and Paige Handley snap a selfie on the Manzano crest trail on the Cibola National Forest, New Mexico. Jessalyn Ayars on a field trip to the Black Range Ranger District on the Gila National Forest, New Mexico. Dr. Jens Stevens walks ahead of Gavin on an outing to Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico. View into the Aldo Leopold Wilderness from Lookout Mountain on the Black Range Ranger District, Gila National Forest, New Mexico. Gavin, Jessalyn Ayars, Jack Williams, Paige Handley, Andrea Chavez, and Rene Guaderrama pose in front of housing quarters during a field trip to the Gila National Forest.
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Disturbance and Biodiversity Lab

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