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.

Talus graduated with a B.S. in Cornell University in New York. Talus has participated in bird banding for three seasons at RCF, including MAPS bird banding stations, hummingbird banding, fall songbird and owl banding. Originally from northern California, Talus has worked in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Wyoming and Australia.

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.

Aiden earned his B.S. in Biology with a focus in Ecology, Evolution, and Animal Conservation from the University of Central Florida in 2025.  He joined Dr. Diana Tomback's lab in fall of 2026 and will be studying the degree to which Clark's Nutcrackers act as seed dispersers for limber pine, an important component of the Yellowstone Ecosystem.

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.

Charles Tucker Grigsby is a master’s student at the University of Wyoming’s Chalfoun Lab, where he studies factors influencing breeding site occupancy and productivity for Trumpeter Swans in Wyoming. Drawn to the trumpeter swan for its remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction, as well as its historical and cultural significance, Tucker is committed to contributing to the long-term conservation of the species. 

Join our team as the Avian Program Lead!  The Avian Program Lead will oversee RCF's Common Loon and Trumpeter Swan projects and will oversee other avian projects in coordination with our Associate Biologist and graduate students.  Check out the job announcement!