Shane is the Wildlife Research Specialist for the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CAP LTER). His responsibilities are to lead and help coordinate two long term studies; the Bird Census Project and the Salt River Biodiversity Project, and to conduct seasonal point counts for birds across the Phoenix Metro area.
Shane was born and raised in Indiana where he also earned a bachelor's degree in Biology from Indiana University Bloomington. During his undergraduate he conducted research examining the mechanistic relationships between adaptation and speciation within a group of closely related tomato species, primarily focusing on their ecology, genetics, physiology and evolutionary histories.
After graduation, Shane began his career by attending seasonal positions with the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and several private organizations. In these roles he participated in many projects that involved Habitat Restoration, Wildlife Monitoring (Birds, Bats, Fish, Insects, and Herps), Animal Husbandry (Butterflies and Mice), Hydrology, Wildland Firefighting, Greenhouse and Nursery Plant Care, Forest Recreation, Trail Restoration, and Wildlife Interpretation. His hope is that by participating in CAP LTER projects, he will expand his knowledge and assist in the preservation of native wildlife in the Greater Phoenix Area.