Sarah Bisbing, PhD
Associate Professor of Forest Ecosystem Science Director, Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area [email protected] |
Sarah joined UNR in Fall 2017 after four years as an Assistant Professor at Cal Poly – SLO. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Forestry from the University of Montana and a PhD in Ecology from Colorado State University. Sarah's work focuses on assessing forest persistence potential and then doing something to improve the outcomes! She is baby tree and common garden obsessed and doesn't mind swinging the ole hoedad to get some baby trees in the ground. Sarah’s teaching emphasizes field-based learning, and she is always up for a trip to a Sierra Nevada forest.
In the Spring of 2020, Sarah was named the Director of the Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area where she is responsible for the leadership, programs, and administration of the Forest, a 2,650 acre area located on the western edge of Washoe Valley.
When not teaching and researching, you can find her exploring the natural world with her kiddo, mountain biking or climbing with the lab mascot, Dawkins the Dog, or working way too late at night to save these climate-impacted western forests.
In the Spring of 2020, Sarah was named the Director of the Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area where she is responsible for the leadership, programs, and administration of the Forest, a 2,650 acre area located on the western edge of Washoe Valley.
When not teaching and researching, you can find her exploring the natural world with her kiddo, mountain biking or climbing with the lab mascot, Dawkins the Dog, or working way too late at night to save these climate-impacted western forests.
Bisbing Lab Winter 2024
Graduate Students
Michelle Deslauriers
M.S. Student
M.S. Student
Michelle first worked with the Bisbing lab in 2020 as a crew lead for AMEX, and recently re-joined the lab as an M.S. student in 2024. In between this time, she continued to hone her interests and skills in forest ecology and land management through work with the Forest Service in the Tahoe National Forest. Her M.S. research is taking her to Juneau, where she is studying the impacts of hemlock sawfly (Neodiprion tsugae) and western blackheaded budworm (Acleris gloverana) outbreaks for forest health in southeast Alaska. When she’s not working in the field, she’s usually still occupied outside, either mountain biking, splitboarding, or swimming in freezing cold alpine lakes.
Technical Staff
Hunter Noble
Manager, Whittell Forest & Wildlife Area Hunter is a forester is interested in how forest management practices can be used to replicate historic disturbance regimes, create system resilience and adaptation in the face of climate change, while also meeting the diverse needs of stakeholders and society. His masters’ thesis focused on the use of prescribed burning in young stands and the relationship of age to crown damage and mortality. Hunter has worked with individuals from a variety of fields at the private, state, and federal level, emphasizing that a multi-disciplinary approach is necessary to tackle the issues that western forests face today. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in forestry from UC Berkeley, where he was advised by Dr. Rob York and Dr. Scott Stephens. He is the Forest Manager for the University of Nevada – Reno school forest, the Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area.
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Conor Phelan
Senior Analyst Conor is a geospatial specialist with a background in conservation and natural resource GIS. He received his master's in resource conservation from the University of Montana. In the past, Conor has provided GIS and data analytics support for a wide variety of stakeholders and agencies including the Human Dimensions Lab at the University of Montana's W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society, Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, North Fork Analytics, Wilderness Watch, and others. Outside of the lab Conor is an avid backcountry skier, trail runner, and hunter.
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Bryant Nagelson
Research Associate Bryant studies ecosystem- and tree-level responses to disturbance. He completed an MS in the Bisbing Lab in 2021 and now provides research and technical support for AMEX and other studies. For his master’s work, Bryant analyzed long-term trends in natural tree regeneration in response to climatic patterns and repeated fuels treatments with Dr. Bisbing and Dr. Rob York. On the side, Bryant assists with fire effects monitoring and weather forecasting for prescribed fire organizations in the northern Sierra Nevada.
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Hannah Cardwell
Project Manager Hannah received her Bachelors degree in Forest Ecology & Management from the University of Nevada, Reno. She was a student of Sarah's and transitioned right into the planting crew after graduating, and ended up in her current position following the field season. Hannah decided to pursue forestry after realizing that proper land management is vital to outdoor recreation. In her downtime, she enjoys yoga, snowboarding, long walks, speculative fiction, and making really specific playlists for her friends.
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Kevin Charpentier
Operations Coordinator |
Mariah Sierras
Assistant Forest Manager |
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Kevin graduated from University of Nevada Reno with a B.S. in Forest Ecology and Management. A local Nevadan, Kevin began his career in the mining and construction industry before finding his passions lay elsewhere. At UNR, Kevin balanced a busy academic schedule with work as a field technician in multiple ecological research labs before moving to his current position with the AMEX project. As an outdoor enthusiast and nature lover Kevin enjoys working and spending his time out in the elements.
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Mariah has held a variety of forestry and research field positions. Her environmental career began as a seasonal crew member working on the Adaptive Management Experiment. More recently, as an undergraduate, Mariah worked in the Shriver Quantitative Plant Ecology lab at the University of Nevada, Reno exploring her interests in demographic relationships in ecosystems. As the assistant forest manager for the Little Valley Forest & Wildlife Area, Mariah strives to foster an environment in which other faculty, students, and community members can leverage research opportunities and engage with the forest. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, listening to music, swimming, baking, and hiking.
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Tamar Zeevi
Research Fellow
Research Fellow
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Originally from Jerusalem, Tamar came to forest ecology research after spending years working in and studying agricultural systems worldwide. She earned her BA in Sustainable Agriculture from Sterling College, VT, following her studies at Deep Springs College, CA. In the lab, she began as a forestry crew lead before transitioning to her current position as research fellow on the AMEX provenance trial. When not wrangling baby tree data, you'll find Tamar exploring trails with her foxy dog, Ruger.
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Critters
Dawkins
Lab Mascot
Lab Mascot
Dawkins the Dog is an active participant in all field studies and takes his responsibilities as poison oak vector, fitness trainer, and lover of all things very seriously. He adores his students and is up for any and all adventures. He serves as Dr. B’s sidekick in field labs and is her best excuse for outdoor adventures. Dawkins loves baby trees, Rancho Marino Reserve, and being chased. He also prefers cool weather and forested ecosystems, just like his momma.
Sula
Lab Lab Sula joined the lab in 2018 under the mentorship of Dawkins. Sula is known for her unbridled enthusiasm regarding just about everything in life, particularly fetch or anything to do with swimming. Sula often accompanied Lacey in the field to provide constructive criticism regarding her experimental design. In her free time Sula can be found running trails, snuggling on a couch, or chasing a ball.
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Ruger
Small Mammal Specialist Ruger was invited to join the lab in 2024, when baby trees appeared to be under attack from mountain pocket gophers. As a rodent specialist, he serves as senior adviser to Dawkins and Sula on matters pertaining to gnawers—from mice to voles. Known for his unhealthy work-life balance, on his days off you'll see him investigating the whereabouts of ground squirrels and expanding his horizons beyond the order Rodentia by chasing rabbits.
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Past Members
University of Nevada - Reno
Graduate Students
Halina North, M.S. (2024)
Chuck Lewis, M.S. (2023)
Lacey Hankin, PhD (2021)
Bryant Nagelson, MS (2021)
Tessa Putz, M.S. (2020)
Matthew Terzes (2019)
Postdoctoral Scholars
Lauren Cox (2022)
Kellen Nelson (2020)
Alexandra Urza (2018)
Research Associates
Matthew Campbell (2021)
Alexis Graves (2019-2022)
Undergraduate Research Technicians
Lindsey Stone (2018-2019)
Coralee Ditman (2017-2018)
Halina North, M.S. (2024)
Chuck Lewis, M.S. (2023)
Lacey Hankin, PhD (2021)
Bryant Nagelson, MS (2021)
Tessa Putz, M.S. (2020)
Matthew Terzes (2019)
Postdoctoral Scholars
Lauren Cox (2022)
Kellen Nelson (2020)
Alexandra Urza (2018)
Research Associates
Matthew Campbell (2021)
Alexis Graves (2019-2022)
Undergraduate Research Technicians
Lindsey Stone (2018-2019)
Coralee Ditman (2017-2018)
Cal Poly
Graduate Students
Matthew Brousil, M.S. Student (2016)
Tori Norville, M.S. Student (2017)
Emily O'Dean, M.S. Student (2017)
Marissa Vossmer, M.S. Student (2017)
Undergraduate Research Technicians
Katherine Benedict (2015-2017)
Adrian Driver (2016-2017)
Kevin Hurt (2014-2016)
Devon Jackson (2015-2017)
Danny McQuillan (2013-2014)
Jake Miller (2016-2017)
Alicia Streetman (2016-2017)
Colin Wong (2015-2017)
Matthew Brousil, M.S. Student (2016)
Tori Norville, M.S. Student (2017)
Emily O'Dean, M.S. Student (2017)
Marissa Vossmer, M.S. Student (2017)
Undergraduate Research Technicians
Katherine Benedict (2015-2017)
Adrian Driver (2016-2017)
Kevin Hurt (2014-2016)
Devon Jackson (2015-2017)
Danny McQuillan (2013-2014)
Jake Miller (2016-2017)
Alicia Streetman (2016-2017)
Colin Wong (2015-2017)