Dr. Melissa Price
Assitant Professor
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
To conserve fragile ecosystems, we must understand the ecology and connectivity of individual species. My projects examine pieces of the puzzle, such as genetic connectivity, habitat use, and species interactions. The decisions we make today in conservation will have long-reaching effects, and must be made based on best practices and solid research. I go to work each day excited to be part of a community of people working to conserve endangered species for the health of our planet and the enjoyment of future generations.
Email: pricemel at hawaii.edu
Twitter: @HIWildlife
Website: melissarprice.weebly.com
Assitant Professor
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
To conserve fragile ecosystems, we must understand the ecology and connectivity of individual species. My projects examine pieces of the puzzle, such as genetic connectivity, habitat use, and species interactions. The decisions we make today in conservation will have long-reaching effects, and must be made based on best practices and solid research. I go to work each day excited to be part of a community of people working to conserve endangered species for the health of our planet and the enjoyment of future generations.
Email: pricemel at hawaii.edu
Twitter: @HIWildlife
Website: melissarprice.weebly.com
Kristen Harmon
PhD student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Growing up near the Chesapeake Bay, Kristen's childhood was shaped by her interaction with wetland wildlife. While earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, she learned about the uncertainty introduced by climate change. She then realized that wetland ecosystems, which she once thought to be a predictable constant in her life, were actually quite vulnerable and fragile. She wanted to have a part in better understanding the response of complex ecosystem dynamics to climate change, so she set out to pursue a career in wildlife ecology. Kristen is currently pursing a PhD degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management with a specialization in Ecology Evolution and Conservation Biology. Her research focuses on the conservation of native Hawaiian waterbirds, as well as restoration and management of native systems in Hawai‘i. Kristen is also committed to outreach and education, and she regularly participates in community conservation events and youth educational programs.
Website: https://kristen-harmon.weebly.com/
Twitter: @CnsrvHI
PhD student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Growing up near the Chesapeake Bay, Kristen's childhood was shaped by her interaction with wetland wildlife. While earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, she learned about the uncertainty introduced by climate change. She then realized that wetland ecosystems, which she once thought to be a predictable constant in her life, were actually quite vulnerable and fragile. She wanted to have a part in better understanding the response of complex ecosystem dynamics to climate change, so she set out to pursue a career in wildlife ecology. Kristen is currently pursing a PhD degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management with a specialization in Ecology Evolution and Conservation Biology. Her research focuses on the conservation of native Hawaiian waterbirds, as well as restoration and management of native systems in Hawai‘i. Kristen is also committed to outreach and education, and she regularly participates in community conservation events and youth educational programs.
Website: https://kristen-harmon.weebly.com/
Twitter: @CnsrvHI
Eryn Opie
MS Student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Eryn had spent several years participating in habitat restoration work in Papahānaumokuākea and it was here that she developed a deep connection to the environment and the place she was living in. However, she started to realize that though she loved remote seabird colonies, she wanted to be home cultivating this connection in the place she grew up. She saw issues of the world from the perspective of a tiny atoll and knew she wanted to be back in society working to better understand human behavior and their global impacts. She is a graduate student in the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a research assistant with the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve studying the utilization of Hawaiian agrosystems by native waterbirds. She is grateful to be back in school with an amazing opportunity to cultivate her passion for conservation at home and to be apart of a community working together to understand and preserve Hawaiʻiʻs ecosystems.
MS Student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Eryn had spent several years participating in habitat restoration work in Papahānaumokuākea and it was here that she developed a deep connection to the environment and the place she was living in. However, she started to realize that though she loved remote seabird colonies, she wanted to be home cultivating this connection in the place she grew up. She saw issues of the world from the perspective of a tiny atoll and knew she wanted to be back in society working to better understand human behavior and their global impacts. She is a graduate student in the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a research assistant with the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve studying the utilization of Hawaiian agrosystems by native waterbirds. She is grateful to be back in school with an amazing opportunity to cultivate her passion for conservation at home and to be apart of a community working together to understand and preserve Hawaiʻiʻs ecosystems.
Luka Zavas
MEM Student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Luka is a graduate student of the Hawai’i wildlife ecology lab pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Management. Growing up in the shade of the Koʻolau mountains in ʻĀhuimanu, Kāneʻohe. Her love to mālama ʻāina led her to get a bachelor’s in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. After graduation she grounded and developed her skills at Waimea Valley as a conservation land specialist. Luka is now back at UH Mānoa, funded by Hauʻoli Mau Loa, to dive into the relationships communities foster with the ʻalaeʻula (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis) and observe how these special birds are moving within Oʻahu’s urban landscape.
MEM Student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Luka is a graduate student of the Hawai’i wildlife ecology lab pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Management. Growing up in the shade of the Koʻolau mountains in ʻĀhuimanu, Kāneʻohe. Her love to mālama ʻāina led her to get a bachelor’s in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. After graduation she grounded and developed her skills at Waimea Valley as a conservation land specialist. Luka is now back at UH Mānoa, funded by Hauʻoli Mau Loa, to dive into the relationships communities foster with the ʻalaeʻula (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis) and observe how these special birds are moving within Oʻahu’s urban landscape.
Jessica Idle
MS Student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Raised in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Jessica found her passion for wildlife management and conservation after completing a two-week study abroad program in South Africa learning about African ecology and conservation. She then earned her B.S. in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at UH Manoa where she conducted a research project through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. The project sought to understand the effect of human traffic on the fledging success of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters nesting along Kailua Beach. Jessica is now pursuing a M.S. degree in the same program, with a thesis focused on Hawaiian Stilt chick habitat use and survival.
MS Student
Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Raised in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Jessica found her passion for wildlife management and conservation after completing a two-week study abroad program in South Africa learning about African ecology and conservation. She then earned her B.S. in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at UH Manoa where she conducted a research project through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. The project sought to understand the effect of human traffic on the fledging success of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters nesting along Kailua Beach. Jessica is now pursuing a M.S. degree in the same program, with a thesis focused on Hawaiian Stilt chick habitat use and survival.