Dr. Werdel is a wildlife ecologist who primarily studies mammalian species. He is interested in how wildlife interacts within communities and their surrounding, ever-changing landscapes. He was born on the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeastern South Dakota, but spent much of his life as a Nebraskan. New to Texas, Ty enjoys spending most of his free time with his wife Chelsea, daughter Raylan, and dog Husker. Currently he is an Assistant professor within the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management. Ty teaches Techniques of Wildlife Management and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Seminar. You can see Dr. Werdel's full professional record on the CV page. Pertinent links to sites regarding Ty's social media and research can be found on the Contact page.

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Conner's research interests include landscape ecology, carnivore ecology and conservation, and mammalogy. He is currently developing a project with Dr. Werdel focusing on Texas javelina distribution, occupancy, and movement in Texas. Besides javelinas, he has worked on plains spotted skunks in South Dakota, ecological diversity in Iowa, swift foxes in Kansas, and muskrats in Minnesota. He received his bachelor's degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, where he was heavily involved in the student chapter of The Wildlife Society. He is also a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Mammalogists, The Wildlife Society, and the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society. In his free time, he enjoys birding, adding species to his life list, and reading about western history or the history of wildlife.

Dave is a MS student developing long-term wildlife monitoring programs for a ranch in south Texas to collect data on mammals, birds, herps, and insects. He received his B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Penn State and was involved with the student chapters of The Wildlife Society and the Society of American Foresters. He has worked on projects investigating the occupancy of mammalian species in a state forest in Pennsylvania, the population structure of white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania, the population structure and admixture of African savanna elephants and Masai giraffe in Tanzania, developing a database of species of greatest conservation need for New Jersey and worked as an assistant ranch biologist in southwest Texas. His research interests are in population and quantitative ecology that can better inform management and conservation decisions. He is an avid outdoorsman and spends his free time hunting, camping, and adding species to his bird and herp life list.

MacKenzie (Lulu) is an MS student in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management. Her research focuses on spatial interactions and potential disease transmission of chronic wasting disease in free-ranging native and exotic ungulates. She has also worked with many exotic bird species as well as migratory waterfowl and swallows. Lulu received her bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University, where she also began her current involvement with the Texas A&M Fly Club as the Research and Conservation Outreach Chair. In her free time, Lulu enjoys spending time in the water, fishing, hiking and birding, and learning about Falconry.

Amanda is an M.S. student in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management. Her research will be at the Ecology and Natural Resource Teaching Area (ENTRA) working on setting up a small mammal sampling protocol to see how the intensity of rangeland management affects their populations. She completed her bachelor's degree in Wildlife & Fisheries Science at Tennessee Technological University and was involved with the student chapter of the Wildlife Society. In her free time, she enjoys training with the Texas A&M Triathlon Club, finding new hiking trails, and taking her pet snake on walks.

Kayla is an MNRD student in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Science from Baylor University. Previously, she has worked with a range of exotic ungulates to promote conservation through research developments in embryology, while also bottle raising many fawns/kids/calves along the way. In her free time, she enjoys hunting, hiking, eating Chick-fil-A, and playing with her dog, Winnie.