Dr. William Porter, Professor

257 Illick Hall
1 Forestry Drive
SUNY ESF
Syracuse, NY 13210

My research interests include studies of the influence of habitat, weather and social behavior on population dynamics of larger vertebrates. I am especially interested in the application of this knowledge to solving natural resource challenges. My graduate students and I are currently studying social behavior and habitat relationships of white-tailed deer, use of satellite imagery to assess habitat quality in wild turkey, influences of weather, habitat, and hunting on long-term population dynamics of wild turkey, feasibility for restoration of elk to New York, and efficacy of using contraceptives to control deer in urban areas. I work extensively with the National Park Service in addressing wildlife problems. My teaching includes a course in Management of Wildlife Habitats and Populations. Additional duties include Director of the Adirondack Ecological Center, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Wildlife Management.

As Research Biologist with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Dr. Underwood's research focuses on wildlife management on US public lands, including Fire Island National Seashore, Morristown National Historic Park, and other national parks.  His research projects include:  feasibility of contraception for white-tailed deer populations, and its effects on rutting behavior; physiological and metabolic effects of supplemental feeding on deer fawns in the Adirondacks; relationships among birds, mammals and ticks in the ecology of Lyme disease; and problem solving in monitoring programs of free-ranging deer populations.  Dr. Underwood heads a research team of National Park Service and Humane Society staff at Fire Island National Seashore, the goal of which is to determine if a population effect can be accomplished for a free-ranging population of white-tailed deer.

250 Illick Hall
1 Forestry Drive
SUNY ESF
Syracuse, NY 13210

As a wildlife ecologist, I seek to understand the factors underlying the distribution and abundance of free-ranging animal populations. Advances in spatial technologies (GIS and GPS) allow us to study the movements, habitat use, and survival of wide-ranging animals in great detail, providing critical links between observable animal behavior and population-level patterns of species occurrence and abundance. It is within this realm that my research interests lie, and my experience has largely been with wide-ranging species such as elk and wolves.