WWU to Host Wildlife Ecologist Gregory Green for a Discussion on Red Fox Populations Oct. 18

Wildlife Ecologist Gregory Green will present, “Genetic Characteristics of Red Foxes in Northeastern Oregon and Southeastern Washington” at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18 in Academic West 203 on the Western Washington University campus as part of the Huxley Speaker Series. 

All Huxley Speaker Series events are free and open to the public.

The Rocky Mountain Red Fox, once common in the Blue Mountain ecoregion of northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington, was considered rare in in this region by the 1930s and thought to be eradicated by the 1960s, when new red fox populations began to appear. Although the new foxes were presumed to be nonnative — originating from fur farms— they were often phenotypically similar to native red foxes, suggesting the alternative possibility that they arose from range expansions.

 Research indicates that both native and nonnative sources contributed to the red fox populations currently occupying this region. In particular, red foxes in montane habitats of their former range in northeastern Oregon reflect predominantly native ancestry, whereas those in more lowland habitats outside the boundaries of their former range represent a mix of native and nonnative ancestry.

Greg Green has 40 years of experience conducting wildlife population and habitat projects in the Western United States. and Alaska. His responsibilities have been distributed over a wide variety of terrestrial projects, with emphasis on threatened and endangered species, marine mammals, arctic ecology, forest and shrub-steppe ecology, climate change, and natural resource management.

For more information on the Huxley College Speaker Series, call (360) 650-3520. Complimentary parking is available in Parking Lot 12A after 4 p.m. on Thursdays during fall quarter.