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Donna M. Bruns Stockrahm, Ph.D
Like
many other wildlife biologists, I was interested in animals from a very
early age. I grew up with horses, dogs, and cats. My dad raised Irish
Setter bird dogs, so training dogs, taking care of puppies, raising quail,
hunting, and spending lots of time outdoors was a big part of our lives.
I think much of my early interest in wild animals came from spending lots
of time exploring and playing around the stream that ran through our horse
pasture and past our house. Although all six of my siblings spent lots
of time over there, I especially remember all the hours I spent with my
older brother (who now has a Ph.D. in aquatic biology, by the way) collecting
insects, frogs, fish, and snakes. We even got chemistry sets for Christmas
one year and set up a whole laboratory out in the barn!
In college, I studied biology. I thought perhaps I would go into either medical school or veterinary school, and I took courses for both pre-med and pre-vet. However, as a junior, I took a tropical field biology course where I spent a semester studying marine biology. The course ended with a two-week field trip to a research station in the Florida Keys. We spent time snorkeling, exploring coral reefs, and learning about marine creatures. After that experience, I was hooked on field biology and there was no going back!
Since then, I have received a Master of Science in Biology from the University of North Dakota where I studied black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in the North Dakota Badlands. I then acquired a Ph.D. in Zoology with a specialization in Wildlife Ecology from Ohio State University. My Ph.D. study was conducted in the apple orchards of upstate New York where I studied the habitat and space use of two pest rodent species, meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and pine voles (Microtus pinetorum).
I now live in Minnesota on my 80-acre farm (complete with lots of wild animals) as well as horses, dogs, and cats!! I am a Professor of Biology at Moorhead State University where I teach courses such as Zoology, Wildlife Ecology, and Animal Behavior. I work with my students here on all sorts of research projects on mammalian ecology, especially projects dealing with rodents, including wild mice, voles, tree squirrels, and, of course, prairie dogs. In fact, I took students to the San Juan Mountains of Colorado to study the Gunnison's prairie dogs from 1989-97!
My students and I began a new project last summer on a bigger prairie species, the bison (Bison bison). We are studying habitat use and behavior of bison in the North Dakota Badlands and the project will continue for a number of years. It is an exciting species, and, because the bison spend lots of their time on prairie dog towns, it is the best of both worlds!!
To me, wildlife biology is one of the most exciting careers a person can have. I not only get to study wild animals, and, hopefully, contribute to their welfare, but I get to share these experiences with my students and I get to spend time outdoors. So if you want to be a wildlife biologist, "JUST DO IT!!!!"
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