Dr. Erik R. Olson

A smiling man with blue eyes and short brown hair, wearing a collared shirt and a dark sweater, in front of a bookshelf with colorful books.

Instructor, Center for Wildlife Studies Associate Professor, Northland College

Ph.D and Ms in Environment and Resources, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Email: eolson@northland.edu

Erik is an interdisciplinary ecologist whose interests are wide-ranging and both applied and theoretical. His research embraces applied research to support wildlife conservation and management (e.g., wolf-human conflicts management; long-term wildlife monitoring programs for national parks; human attitudes towards transient cougars) and he explores ecological theory to enhance our understanding of species and the systems they interact with (e.g., island biogeography theory in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore of USA; optimal foraging theory). While Erik takes a pragmatic approach to his research – he keeps his curiosity stoked, pushing the boundaries, asking questions, and learning new things with discovery science (e.g., discovery of biofluorescence in New World flying squirrels, platypuses, and springhare; boreal stonefly emergence patterns never observed before; the first study of grey tree frogs in trees; was one of the pioneers of the field of arboreal camera trapping).

Currently, Erik’s research lab is focused on four projects: 1) Canopy Ecology of Temperate Forests – a project examining the habitat-use of the upper canopy using arboreal camera trapping in Wisconsin, USA, 2) JaguarOsa – a long-term wildlife monitoring project in two Costa Rican National Parks using camera traps and acoustic monitoring, 3) Great Lakes Island Ecology - focusing on the ecology of the island systems of the Great Lakes region of the USA using camera trapping, acoustic monitoring, and live trapping, and 4) American Kestrel Project – long-term project focused on the trends in recruitment and survival for kestrels of northern Wisconsin, USA relative to habitat management and other environmental variables. Additionally, carnivore conservation and ecology, more broadly, is an overarching topical area of his research interests, especially wolf ecology and conservation in the Great Lakes region. For example, Erik is currently using howl surveys to monitor wolf pack reproductive success for Wisconsin wolves and Erik sits on the Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan Committee for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Timber Wolf Alliance Board, and the Science Council of Wisconsin Green Fire.

Erik is currently an associate professor of natural resources at Northland College in northern Wisconsin, USA, where he enjoys involving students in his research, as well as, mentoring students in their own independent research projects. He teaches courses in wildlife ecology, conservation, and management. Erik received a PhD and Ms in Environment and Resources from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and his undergraduate degree in Biology from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.

    • *Pichler, T.R., Mallinger, E.C., Farmer, M.J., Morrison, M.J., *Khadka, B., *Matzinger, P.J., Kirshbaum, A., Goodwin, K.R., Route, W., Van Stappen, J., Van Deelen, T.R., Olson, E.R. 2022. Comparative biogeography of volant and non-volant mammals in a temperate island archipelago. Ecosphere, 13(1),e3911.  http://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3911.

    • Vargas Soto, J.S., Beirne, C., Flatt, E., Pillco-Huarcaya, R., Whitworth, A., Olson, E.R., Saborio-R, G., Espinoza-Munoz, D., Salom-Perez, R., Cruz Diaz, J.C., Whittaker, L., Roldan, C., North Broadbent, E., Molnar, P.K. 2021. Human disturbance shifts the vertebrate community from large-bodied threatened species to small-bodied generalists in a neotropical biodiversity hotspot. Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13813.

    • Moore, J.F., Soanes, K., Balbuena, D., Beirne, C., Bowler, M., Carrasco-Rueda, F., Cheyne, S.M., Coutant, O., Forget, P-M., Haysom, J.S., Houlihan, P.R., Olson, E.R., Lindshield, S., Martin, J., Tobler, M., Whitworth, A., Gregory, T. 2021. The potential and practice of arboreal camera trapping. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org10.1111/2041-210X.13666.

    • Smith, M.M., Gilbert, J.H., Olson, E.R., Scribner, K.T., Van Deelen, T.R., Van Stappen, J.F., Williams, B.W., Woodford, J.E., Pauli, J.N. 2021. A recovery network leads to the natural recolonization of an archipelago and a potential trailing edge refuge. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2416.

    • Olson, E.R., *Goethlich, J., *Goudos-Weisbecker, B. 2021. Anticipatory human attitude survey describes attitudes towards a large, transient carnivore, Puma concolor, prior to recolonization. Wildlife Society Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.11.66.

    • Olson, E.R., Carlson, M.R., Ramanujam, V.M.S., Sears, L., Anthony, S.E., Anich, P.S., Ramon, L., Hulstrand, A., *Jurewicz, M., *Gunnelson, A.S., *Kohler, A.M., Martin, J.G. 2021. Vivid biofluorescence in the nocturnal springhare (Pedetidae). Scientific Reports, 11, 4125. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-83588-0.

    • *Beal, M.R.W., *Matzinger, P.J., Saborio-R, G., Bristan, J.N., Olson, E.R. 2020. A survey of medium and large mammals of Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica. Checklist. 16(4):939-950. https://doi.org/10.15560/16.4.939.

    • *Laughlin, M.M., J.G. Martin, Olson E.R. 2020. Arboreal camera trapping reveals seasonal arboreal behavior of Peromyscus leucopus and Peromyscus maniculatus in northern Wisconsin, USA. American Midland Naturalist. 183:210-222. https://doi.org/10.1637/0003-0031-183.2.210.

    • *Beattie, K., Olson, E.R., Kissui, B., Kirchbaum, A., Kiffner, C. 2020. Predicting human-lion conflict in northern Tanzania. European Journal of Wildlife Research. 66:11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-019-1348-5.

    • Olson, E.R., Van Deelen, T.R., Wydeven, A.P., MacFarland, D.M., Ruid, D.B., Ventura, S.J. 2019. A landscape of overlapping risks for wolf-human conflict in Wisconsin, USA. Journal of Environmental Management. 248: 109307. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109307. 

    • Olson, E.R., Van Deelen, T., and Ventura, S.J. 2019. Variation in anti-predator behaviors of white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus in a multi-predator system. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 97: 1030-1041. https://www.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2018-0254.

    • *Laughlin, M.M., Olson, E.R., Martin, J.G. 2017 Arboreal camera trapping expands Hyla versicolor complex (Hylidae) canopy use to new heights. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1843.

    • Olson, E.R., Van Deelen, T., Wydeven, A.P., Ventura, S.J., MacFarland, D.M. 2015. Characterizing wolf-human conflicts in Wisconsin, USA. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 39:676-688. https://www.doi.org/10.1002/wsb.606.

    • Olson, E.R., Stenglein, J.L, Shelley, V., Rissman, A.R., Browne-Nuñez, C., Voyles, Z., Wydeven, A.P., Van Deelen, T. 2015. Pendulum swings in wolf management led to conflict, illegal kills, and a legislated wolf hunt. Conservation Letters. 8:351-360. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12141.

    • Olson, E.R., Marsh, R.A., Bovard, B.N., Randrianarimanana, H., Ravaloharimanitra, M., Ratsimbazafy, J., and T. King. 2012. Arboreal camera trapping for the Critically Endangered greater bamboo lemur Prolemur simus. Oryx. 46:593-597. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605312000488.

    • Olson, E.R. and J. Doherty. 2012. The legacy of pipeline installation on the soil and vegetation of southeast Wisconsin wetlands. Ecological Engineering. 39:53-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.11.005.

    • Olson, E.R., Ventura, S.J., and J.B. Zedler. 2012. Merging geospatial and field data to predict the distribution and abundance of an exotic macrophyte in a large Wisconsin reservoir. Aquatic Botany. 96, 31-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2011.09.007.