Avery Anderson, B.A.
Avery spent the summer of 2006 researching the human-carnivore relationship in the Upper Green River Valley. She talked to ranchers, farmers, and businessmen in Sublette County about their perceptions of the human-wildlife conflict, specifically with respect to grizzly bears and wolves. Avery is a native of Chappaqua, NY, and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Environmental Management degree at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She majored in Geoarchaeology at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, and graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree. Prior to coming to Yale, Avery spent some time in the southern portion of Kenya (near Amboseli National Park) working with Maasai communities on issues of wildlife management. She was happy to take full advantage of all of the fly-fishing opportunities available here in the GYE.. Avery's researchwas supported by the Wyss Scholars Program for the Conservation of the American West. Look for the results of her research online soon.

Rebecca Watters, B.S.
Rebecca conducted research on wolves as they move beyond the borders of the area’s national parks. She was specifically interested in the possibility of an independent management plan for large carnivores on the Wind River Reservation, and spent time in the area assessing the attitudes of reservation residents towards wolves and grizzly bears. Rebecca is from Southborough, MA, and has a BA in anthropology from St. Lawrence University. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Environmental Science at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Prior to enrolling at Yale, Rebecca spent two and a half years in Mongolia and a year and a half in Cambodia, working on wildlife conservation and environmental education. She has also worked in Bosnia and India on human rights and refugee issues, and studied the interactions between humans and wildlife in Kenya and Tanzania, with a focus on the conflicts among indigenous groups, governments, and national parks. Rebecca is an avid writer, painter, runner, hiker, and fly-fisherwoman.

Justin Westrum , B.A.
Justin is a native of Montana. He has degrees from Bard College and Columbia University and is pursuing a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. His previous work has included researching the ecology of flying foxes and the henipaviruses in Malaysia and Australia for the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, and conducting vegetation surveys in Idaho and Oregon for the USGS. Justin assissted NRCC and the Charture Institute with the Greater Yellowstone Conservation Organization Inventory (GYCOI) project. He conducted a review and analysis of all conservation organizations in the Greater Yellowstone region, with the aim of providing recommendations for improving the collective actions of the entire organizational network. He interviewed organizational leaders about the history of conservation efforts and organizations in the region, and the influence of organizational competition and collaboration on the effectiveness of regional conservation efforts. In his free time, Justin pursued personal research on the gullibility of the local fine-spotted cutthroat trout.