Heather Johnson, Wildlife Biology Doctoral Student in CFC, Wins $80,000 Canon Scholarship
Johnson's research involves evaluating suitable habitat for desert bighorn sheep whose population has declined since the 1920s. All photos by Scott Mills.
CFC Wildlife Biology doctoral
student, Heather Johnson, works to save endangered bighorn sheep in California's Sierra Nevada. That work has earned her a prestigious scholarship from the 2007 Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program.
One of only eight winners in the nation, Heather will receive $80,000 over the next three years.
"I'm ecstatic about it," said Johnson, a wildlife biology researcher who hails from Bellevue, Washington. "It's a big one to get. It was great to see the reviews of my proposal. I'm encouraged to see how excited they were about what we are doing."
Her advisor, Professor Scott Mills, said Johnson was selected from a pool of 150 applicants. "The competition was incredible," he said. "With only eight awarded, the funding rate was below 3 percent."
Johnson works for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program in the California Department of Fish and Game. She works to preserve bighorn sheep subspecies there that is distinct from the Rocky Mountain bighorns found in Montana. Her on-site responsibilities include tracking radio-collared sheep, collecting fecal samples from target individuals, monitoring lambing status of collared females, investigating mortalities, and conducting annual population surveys. Off-site, she has created a spatial model using ArcInfo in a geographic information system (GIS) to investigate the amount of potential and historical bighorn sheep habitat.
"I go into the field during the winter and summer months," she said, "so I'm just getting ready to start the winter field season that runs January through March."
The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program supports the development of the
next generation of scientists in the fields of conservation, environmental science and park management. It is sponsored by Canon U.S.A., the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the U.S. National Park Service.
The scholarship program was established in 1997, and Canon Scholars have since conducted research in more than 85 national parks throughout the Americas and published more than 340 scientific papers.
Canon U.S.A. delivers consumer, business-to-business and industrial imaging solutions. AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society. The National Parks Service preserves the natural and cultural resources of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.
"Heather is the ideal student for this award," Mills said. "She is smart, hard-working, and deeply committed to both science and to implementing conservation on the ground. This award recognizes that she will be a leading conservation scientist of the future."
Reprinted with permission.