Cameron Aldridge - Homepage

Dr. Cameron Aldridge is a Research Ecologist with the US Geological Survey, based at the Fort Collins Science Center, who works in collaboration with the Natural Resource Ecology Lab at CSU.  He is also an Affiliate Research Scientist at NREL and an Affiliate Professor with ESS and GDPE.  His research is diverse, but he is best recognized as one of the foremost sage-grouse ecologists in the world. He has a large research program focused on understanding the conservation and management of Greater and Gunnison Sage-grouse and their habitats. His research team includes both undergraduate and graduate students, research associates, post-doctoral fellows, and research scientists, all of which collaborate to understand why sage-grouse populations have decline, what major factors affect resource conditions and quality for sage-grouse, what drives population dynamics. He works closely on these issues with state and federal partners, as well as NGOs, conservation groups and industry. More broadly, his research involves understanding animal-habitat relationships, with an emphasis on conservation ecology and population demography. Researchers in the lab are addressing the effects of energy development, land-use change, and climate change on conserving wildlife populations, their habitats, and the ecosystems they inhabit. Species that we are currently studying include songbirds and small mammals, snakes and lizards, and grouse, such as white-tailed ptarmigan and sage-grouse. We also work with plant communities and exotic invasive plants, understanding how external drivers such as climate, grazing and energy development affect plant communities. We work across spatial scales, and use statistical and empirical modeling to answer these research and conservation questions, most of which have direct applications for conservation and management of the species and their habitats. Most of the research has direct applications for conservation and management of the species, most notably sage-grouse, and their habitats.