Education:
- M.S., Zoology - University of Wyoming, Laramie. 1994.
Thesis: The density and distribution of small mammals in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
- B.S., Zoology - University of Wisconsin, Madison. 1975.
Professional Background:
Dave began his Federal government career in 1981 with the Roosevelt National Forest in Fort Collins, Colorado as a Timber Stand Improvement crew boss. In 1984 he took a permanent position with the U.S. Geological Survey in Lakewood, Colorado as a cartographic technician in the digital data unit. Dave joined the Wilderness Management Research Work Unit in 1992 and transferred to the Leopold Institute at its inception in 1993 where he is a biologist and supports the research of the staff scientists.
Research Interests:
Dave studied the distribution of small mammals in the Grand Teton National Park ecosystem during the summers of 1990 and 1991 for his graduate thesis. The first year of this research demonstrated the relationship between small mammal populations in a burn chronosequence across four different-aged burns in the Park. In 1991 Dave sampled small mammal populations across an elevational gradient of different habitats throughout the Park.
Dave conducted a small mammal study in 1994 for the Forest Service Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project (BEMRP). This project explored the impacts of timber harvesting and fire on the small mammal populations of adjacent, undisturbed forest. Research was funded by the Leopold Institute and the BEMRP as part of a national ecosystem research venture administered by the Forestry Science Laboratory in Missoula, Montana.
As a biologist for the Leopold Institute, Dave implements and conducts field research, supports the research biologist and research ecologist, coordinates Geographic Information System (GIS) projects, and provides computer support for the staff. His interests include the impact of humans on wilderness ecosystems, the ecological relationships of fire, small mammals and vegetation, and the use of Geographic Information Systems in wilderness management.
Current Projects:
- Field data collection and analysis of alternative campsite restoration techniques in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of northeastern Oregon.
- Compilation of digital boundary data for a National Wilderness Preservation System GIS database.
- Digital processing and GIS analysis for a project exploring the historical fire patterns and vegetation change along the east front of the Bitterroot Mountains.
- Institute representative for Wilderness Information Network (WIN), a World Wide Web (WWW) site dedicated to providing accurate and timely information on the National Wilderness Preservation System. This is a multi-agency project in collaboration with the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center (ACNWTC) and the University of Montana Wilderness Institute.
- Co-principal investigator in a project studying the long-term response of small mammal communities to the 1988 Huckleberry Mountain fire in Grand Teton National Park.
- Publication of an updated National Wilderness Preservation System map in cooperation with the ACNWTC, The Wilderness Society, and Trails Illustrated.
Publications and Reports:
To access other publications by Dave Spildie, please click here.
Landres, Peter; Spildie, David R.; Queen, LLoyd P. 2001. GIS applications to wilderness management: potential uses and limitations. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-80. 9p.
Leopold Publication Number 437 (Download PDF)
Cole, D.N. and D.R. Spildie. 1998. Hiker, horse, and llama trampling effects on native vegetation in Montana, USA. Journal of Environmental Management. 53:61-71.
Cole, D.N. and D.R. Spildie. 2000. Soil amendments and planting techniques: campsite restoration in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon. Pages 181-187 In Cole, D.N., S.F. McCool, W.T. Borrie, and J. O'Loughlin, comps. Wilderness science in a time of change conference - Volume 5: Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management. May 23-27, 1999, Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Leopold Publication Number 397 (Download PDF)
Cole, D.N., A.E. Watson, T. E. Hall, and D. R. Spildie. 1997. High-use destinations in wilderness: social and biophysical impacts, visitors responses, and management options. Res. Pap. INT-RP-496. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 30 p.
Spildie, D.R. 1994. The density and distribution of small mammals in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. M.S. Thesis. University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. 115 p.
Spildie, D.R., D.N. Cole, and S.C. Walker. 2000. Effectiveness of a confinement strategy in reducing pack stock impacts at campsites in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Idaho. Pages 199-208 In Cole, D.N., S.F. McCool, W.T. Borrie, and J. O'Loughlin, comps. Wilderness science in a time of change conference - Volume 5: Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management. May 23-27, 1999, Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Leopold Publication Number 399 (Download PDF)
Spildie, D.R. and P.B. Landres. 1995. The influence of fire and logging on small mammal communities in adjacent undisturbed sites. Page 152 In Smith, H.Y., ed. The Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project: what we have learned: symposium proceedings. May 18-20, 1999, Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-17. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Watson, A.E., D. Hunger, N. Christensen, D. Spildie, K. Becker, and J. Comstock. 1998. Wilderness boaters: protecting unique opportunities in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, Idaho, U.S.A. Pages 151-158 In: Personal, societal, and ecological values of wilderness: Sixth World Wilderness Congress proceedings on research, management, and allocation, Volume I; 1997 October; Bangalore, India. Proceedings RMRS-P-4. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Contact Information:
Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
790 E. Beckwith, P.O. Box 8089
Missoula, MT 59807
Phone: 406-542-4195
Fax: 406-542-4196
E-mail: dspildie@fs.fed.us
|
