Tyler is originally from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania and earned his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Mississippi State University in 2016. His research interests involve using geospatial analyses and ecological niche/species distribution modeling to understand the factors governing species’ niches and distributions. Tyler’s postdoctoral work with the Department of Entomology at University of California Riverside involved characterizing insect invasion dynamics and developing early pest management strategies. In his current position as an assistant scientist of conservation ecology with the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Tyler is working on two projects that entail modeling freshwater mussel distributions in the Midwest US and prioritizing Illinois protected lands based on species rarity and richness. Tyler’s future work with the INHS involves acting as principal investigator on a project that will utilize historical and contemporary distributions of fish, mussels, and aquatic insects to re-characterize the biological significance of all Illinois streams and rivers. Tyler’s research is available on Google Scholar or via request made to schartel@illinois.edu.

Greg King is a river ecologist from Orland Park, Illinois. He is interested in studying the effects of human activities on freshwater ecosystems and currently leads projects assessing Smallmouth Bass populations on two medium-sized rivers in Illinois. He became interested in fisheries ecology while an undergraduate at Eastern Illinois University and started as a field technician at the Illinois Natural History Survey in 2010. His graduate research focused on the physiological consequences of land use in fishes of St. Lawrence River tributaries. Greg is also currently working toward his Ph.D. on the interaction of species traits with altered environments in riverine communities. Greg’s research can be found on Google Scholar or via request made to gdking@illinois.edu.

Megan is a river ecologist originally from Troy, MO. Small fish species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) are not commonly found with traditional large river sampling methods. Her research aims to develop a protocol that targets these species on the Mississippi and Wabash rivers in southern Illinois. She has previously worked on large rivers at both the Big Rivers and Wetlands Field Station in Cape Girardeau, MO, and at the Illinois River Biological Station in Havana, IL. Her graduate research was based in southeastern Louisiana, where she used environmental DNA to study the estuarine fish communities at artificial reefs in Lake Pontchartrain. Megan can be contacted at mryba@illinois.edu. 

Kristen grew up in rural Illinois in a typical farming community.  Her childhood concluded with hunting, fishing, and critter-catching.  Her passion for animals led her to a decade-long career as a certified animal nurse at the University of Illinois’ Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Champaign. She transitioned to the conservation realm in 2017, earning her bachelor’s in Environmental Science and master’s in Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability from UIUC. She joined INHS in January 2021 with the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program as a Field Scientist and recently transitioned into a supervisory role. Her office is based out of the IDNR building in Springfield, IL and she can be reached by email at Kristen.ragusa@illinios.gov.

Abbey grew up and currently lives in the Peoria, IL area. She graduated from Augustana College in May of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies and a minor in Geography. During the summer of 2020, she was a Crew Lead on a wetland restoration project at Indiana Dunes National Park where she and her crew removed invasive species from wetland habitats and planted native flora. She joined INHS in January 2021 as a Visiting Scientific Specialist to work on the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and will be based out of Havana, IL and can be reached by email at afward@illinois.edu.

Chris grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and currently resides in Champaign, Illinois where he joined INHS as a Stream Research Technician in the summer of 2020. Before joining INHS he received his bachelor’s in Zoology from the University of St. Andrews, located on the East coast of Scotland. During his time in undergrad his studies focused primarily on ecological interactions and conservation culminating in writing his thesis over examinations of the skeletal morphometrics of an isolated population of Soay sheep living in the St. Kilda archipelago. Between graduation and joining INHS he worked for the non-profit Fossil Rim Wildlife Center as an animal care specialist before moving to the education department as a conservation educator. He also spent a brief period as an axe throwing instructor. In January of 2021 he started his new position at INHS as a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Field Specialist located in Champaign. He can be reached by email at cmm17@illinois.edu.

Jerrod’s research has primarily focused on methods to characterize fish assemblage structure and relating changes in these characterizations to the chemical and physical environment. He led the lab’s large river surveys from 2014 through 2019. He is currently working on research topics involving side-scan sonar substrate characterization and differences among fish functional diversity in Illinois’ large rivers.