Jack Christie

Education

2017: B.S. Oregon State University-- Biology with Ecology Option

2023: M.S. Cal Poly Humboldt-- Natural Resource Management: Wildlife (In Progress)

Research/Career Interests

I've been working as a Wildlife Biologist for IWS since December of 2022, studying the population of Marianas monitor lizards (Varanus tsukamotoi), or Hilitai, found on Cocos Island, Guam. Since the reintroduction of the critically endangered Guam rail (Hypotaenidia owstoni), or Ko'ko', monitor lizard numbers have been controlled to help the reintroduction succeed. Now, more than a decade later, information is needed to assess these efforts and to determine if further control is necessary. We are doing a spatial mark-recapture study to estimate the population parameters of monitor lizards on the island and assessing their diet for evidence of Guam rail predation. This data will also be used for my thesis at Cal Poly Humboldt, where I am advised by Dr. Daniel Barton.

I'm interested in studying and conserving wildlife, with a focus on herpetofauna. After graduating from OSU, I worked with king cobras in Thailand, tortoises in the deserts of California, and with various herpetofauna in the southeastern US. After completing my Master's degree at Cal Poly Humboldt, I would like to continue working in the field and in the office to help conserve, understand, and manage non-game wildlife populations. When I'm not thinking about lizards, I like to snorkel, practice martial arts, and play ultimate frisbee.