MSc 2011 (TRU Environmental Science)

Gerad’s MSc work took place within the arid, interior grasslands of south-central British Columbia.  He examined how grassland structure and elevation influenced the structuring of small mammal communities.  Because these same small animals figure in the diet of many threatened grassland predators (badgers, rattlesnakes, burrowing owls, etc.), his work had strong conservation value. The deer mouse and montane vole were the two species figuring more prominently in his work.  In addition to an intensive summer trapping schedule, he also conducted some pilot winter work that involves trapping under the snow.This work  also linked  to the botanical grassland studies being done at TRU by Dr. Lauchlan Fraser and his research group