Originally from Connecticut, Dr. Wehtje has spent most of his career in the Western U.S.. He holds a Ph.D. from UC Riverside and has conducted research across North and South America. Since 2018, he has led The Ricketts Conservation Foundation’s conservation efforts across the Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond.

Shari’s interest in land and ecology began in high school and led to a Rangeland degree from SDSU and a Master’s from the University of Idaho. With 18+ years of experience in South Dakota and Wyoming, she now manages habitat projects for The Ricketts Conservation Foundation in western Wyoming.

Josh grew up in Pennsylvania and earned a Wildlife Science degree from Penn State in 2013. After years of fieldwork across the U.S. focused on birds, he joined The Ricketts Conservation Foundation in 2023 to oversee bird banding, owl studies, and an aspen regeneration project.

Caroline is originally from Kansas where she earned a Cellular Biology degree from Kansas State University in 2022 leading to a Master's at Montana State University.  She joins the Ricketts Conservation Foundation, overseeing and advancing the goals of the Virtual Fence Conservation Partnership.

Noah graduated with a degree in conservation biology from Illinois State University in 2021 and has since been working in the western US with owls and other raptors. Since joining The Ricketts Conservation Foundation in 2024, Noah co-leads owl banding and participates in other conservation projects around Monument Ridge and Yellowstone National Park.

Liv earned her B.S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from the University of New Hampshire. Since graduating, she has traveled across the U.S., working on a variety of avian projects. At The Ricketts Conservation Foundation, she leads the common loon project and co-leads owl banding, while contributing to a variety of other avian research efforts.

Aiden graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. Aiden is an assistant bander at nine MAPS bird banding stations, and assisted fall songbird and owl banding for The Ricketts Conservation Foundation in 2025. He has additional background in dendrochronology, reconstructing wildfire history in eastern New Hampshire.

Cheyenne is from Maine but after attaining her B.S. in Wildlife Conservation Management in New Brunswick, Canada in 2021, she has dedicated her time to traveling and working on a variety of wildlife research projects. Currently, Cheyenne is in her second summer with the Ricketts Conservation Foundation assisting with bird banding, avian point-count surveys, and game camera maintenance.

Olivia graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2021 with a degree in Conservation Biology. She has worked on various avian research projects across the United States with a focus on songbird banding. Most recently, she was running a spring migration banding station in Nebraska. At RCF, Olivia works on the Monument Ridge Crew and helps lead MAPS banding sessions.

Leah grew up in Massachusetts and earned her Biology degree from UMass Boston in 2022. She has spent the past several years working throughout the country with insects, mammals, and avian species. She joins The Ricketts Conservation Foundation to assist with multiple aspects of the Monument Ridge Project, including point counts and banding.

Chase is currently an undergraduate Wildlife Biology student at the University of Montana. She grew up in Southern California, moving up to Montana to pursue my passion for conservation and research. This season Chase is assisting the Ricketts Conservation Foundation's Common Loons field studies.

Genevieve attends the University of Wyoming, where she double majors in Wildlife & Fisheries Biology and Environmental & Natural Resources. Genevieve is passionate about wildlife management and gaining practical experience in the field. She enjoys learning how science can be applied to real-world environmental challenges. 

Sophie is originally from Minnesota where she obtained a BS in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from University of Minnesota. After graduating, Sophie moved to New York City to work as an urban ecologist and adjunct professor of ecology and biostatistics. She now continues teaching online while traveling across the US and Canada as an avian technician.

Aiden earned his B.S. in Biology with a focus in Ecology, Evolution, and Animal Conservation from the University of Central Florida in 2025. Since graduating, he has worked on a variety of wildlife projects across the U.S., focusing on avian monitoring and ecological research. His experience includes conducting raptor, turkey, vegetation, and bird population surveys across a variety of habitats and ecosystems.

Cody grew up exploring the lakes of southern Wisconsin and earned a Wildlife Biology degree from the University of Wisconsin. He has worked across the U.S., Australia, and the Caribbean on diverse wildlife projects. Now a master’s student at the University of Montana, he manages The Ricketts Conservation Foundation’s Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration Project and conducts avian fire ecology research.

Kelsey discovered her passion for wildlife biology while working in Yellowstone and later earned a Biology degree from Oregon State. She’s since worked on studies of bumblebees, golden eagles, and Antarctic seals. Now a master’s student, she returns to the Yellowstone Ecosystem to research Common Loons with The Ricketts Conservation Foundation.

Karina is a master’s student in the Tomback Forest Ecology Lab at the University of Colorado Denver. With five years of field experience in bird monitoring and bear management, she is passionate about collaborative bird conservation. Her graduate research with The Ricketts Conservation Foundation focuses on Clark’s Nutcracker movement in Yellowstone.