Local cougars on the Olympic Peninsula are among the most inbred and genetically impoverished in the Pacific Northwest. They are also among the most conflict-prone populations in Washington, resulting in high levels of lethal removal by state wildlife agents following losses of poorly protected livestock in people’s backyards. How then, can we improve the conservation status of local cougars? Join us in an exploration of research to date and how we’ve used new insights to create a theory of change to guide strategic investments which we hope will ensure healthy integrated human-wildlife ecosystems for generations to come.
As lead scientist for Panthera, a conservation organization that supports research and communicating science to as large an audience as possible, Elbroch is a consummate educator. His combination of visual footage, many years of experience, and passion for his work creates a unique and inspiring opportunity for audiences.
Elbroch leads projects as well as directing the analysis of data gathered in the field. He earned his doctoral degree at the University of California-Davis, where his dissertation research focused on puma ecology in Chilean Patagonia. He has contributed to puma research and conservation in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, California, Mexico and Chile, as well as worked as a wildlife consultant across North America.
Elbroch has authored and coauthored 10 books on natural history, including two award-winning books on wildlife tracking, Animal Skulls: A Guide to North American Species, endorsed by The American Society of Mammalogists, and the new Peterson Reference Guide to the Behavior of North American Mammals.
Elbroch is the author or co-author of 10 books on natural history. His book Bird Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species was runner up for a National Outdoor Book Award in 2001, and his book Mammal Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species won a National Outdoor Book Award in 2003.
Please join us each Thursday at 12:35 pm in the Little Theater on the Port Angeles campus of Peninsula College, or via livestream on Zoom (Meeting ID: 881 8437 0617). Studium Generale is made possible through generous contributions to the Peninsula College Foundation. For more information, please contact Kate Reavey at kreavey@pencol.edu or (360) 417-6268.