La Kretz Field Station is base of operations for postdoc Rachel Blakey

Rachel is a La Kretz Center Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dan Blumstein and Seth Riley on the effects of fire on mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Rachel’s past research has focused on how disturbance patterns influence the movement, food webs and community assembly of highly mobile predators (bats, owls, raptors) in regions prone to fire and drought. After completing her PhD at University of New South Wales, Australia, she has worked with University of Idaho, University of Missouri and The Institute for Bird Populations.