Jason worked on several projects for us in the herpetology lab including Eastern Massasauga searches, Illinois Mud Turtle radio-telemetry, and Blanding’s Turtle work in the Chicago Region. He completed his M.Sc. in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois in 2016. His project examined the population and spatial ecology of the Smooth Softshell Turtle (Apalone mutica) in the Kaskaskia River. In particular, he studied how high rates of flow affected the spatial biology and behavior of this species. The project focused on two reaches of the Kaskaskia River, below the Lake Shelbyville Dam and below the Carlyle Lake Dam. Jason then moved to be an Associate Herpetologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey in the Urban Biotic Assessment Program. Currently, Jason has started his own environmental consulting firm focusing on turtle conservation and ecology.
