Department of Environmental Conservation

Professor

413-545-2640
324 Holdsworth
Email: cgriffincgriffin(at)eco.umass.edu

Primary interests

My teaching and research interests are in biodiversity conservation, wetland wildlife ecology and management, and integrated natural resources management issues. Although my research program addresses both applied and basic ecological questions, it focuses primarily on the conservation of biological diversity and providing a strong science base for management decisions. Thus, my overall research program is very applied and is largely driven by the resource conservation needs of local, state and federal agencies, NGOs, and international organizations. I also have a strong commitment to and involvement in development of local, state, national, and international policies relating to wetlands protection, endangered species management, and conservation of biological diversity.

Current Projects

• Population status, ecology and transboundary movements of elephants in the Okavango-Upper Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
• Seasonal distribution and abundance of wildlife in northeastern Ngamiland, Botswana
• Distribution and habitat use of stream salamanders in riparian zones
• Occurrence, movement and behavior of the Kemp's ridley and other sea turtles in Cape Cod Bay
• Balancing mosquito control and wetland impacts: assessment, policy analysis, and best management practices
• Genetic variation, population dynamics and conservation strategies for endangered freshwater turtles
• Inventory and development of monitoring protocols for landbird communities on Cape Cod
• Habitat assessment procedures of wetland-dependent birds in New England
• Strategic biodiversity conservation planning in the Housatonic watershed: a landscape ecological approach
• Prioritizing habitat patches for conservation in the threatened pitch pine-scrub oak barrens of southestern MA
• Impacts of roads on wildlife movements and distribution

Current Student Research Projects

Elephant ecology & conservation in northern Tanzania , Alfred Kikoti, PhD

Seasonal distribution and abundance of elephants in the Lower Kwando River Basin of Southern Africa , Mike Chase, PhD

Elephant ecology and human-elephant conflicts in Sumatra , Arnold Sitompul, PhD

Evaluating the effectiveness of wildlife passages in Vermont . Mark Bellis , MS

Inventory and development of monitoring protocols for landbird communities at Cape Cod National Seashore. Mark Faherty , MS

Breeding ecology & conservation of the St. Lucia parrot. Alwin Dornelly , MS

Courses Taught

• W&FCONSV 491A S-Africn Wildlife Conservation
• W&FCONSV 697C ST-Conservation Biol

Selected Recent Publications 

Johnson, J.S., C.R. Griffin and P.R. Sievert. Laughing gull kleptoparasitism of Common Terns on South Monomoy Island , Massachusetts . J. Field Ornithol. (in press)

Cushman , S.A. , M. Chase and C.R. Griffin. 2005. Elephants in space and time. Oikos 109:331-341.

Still, B.M., C. R. Griffin, and R. Prescott. 2005. Climatic and oceanographic factors affecting daily patterns of juvenile sea turtle cold-stunning in Cape Cod Bay , Massachusetts . Chelonian Conservation 4(4):883-890.

Burne, M.R. and C.R. Griffin. 2005a. Habitat associations of pool-breeding amphibians in eastern Massachusetts , USA . Wetlands Ecol. & Manage. 13:247-259.

Burne, M.R. and C.R. Griffin. 2005b. Protecting vernal pools: a model from Massachusetts , USA . Wetlands Ecol. & Manage. 13:367-375.

Grand, J., J. Buonaccorsi, S.A. Cushman, C.R. Griffin, M.C. Neel. 2004.  A multiscale landscape approach to predicting bird and moth rarity hotspots in a threatened pitch pine-scrub oak community.  Conservation Biology 18(4):1063-1077.

Other:

Zuckerberg, B., C.R. Griffin, and J.T. Finn. 2004. The Southern New England Gap Analysis Project: Final Report. U.S. Geological Servey, Biological Resources Division, Gap Analysis Program, Moscow , ID.113pp + appendices.

Griffin , C.R. and C. Nicholson. 2005. Ecological Impact Analysis and Assessment of the Hunting Program at Cape Cod National Seashore. Draft report. Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet , MA