Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Headquarters
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Headquarters Staff Member


Tess M. McConnell


Biologist
Email: tmcconnell@usgs.gov

Biography

As a Biologist/Data Scientist with the USGS's cooperative research units, I assist CRU scientists and students as they manage their fish and wildlife data. My professional goals center around using fact-based efforts to support natural resource conservation (through research, policy, and communication) while fostering inclusive and welcoming work environments.

My undergraduate degree comes from Southern Utah University and my Masters from the Pennsylvania Cooperative Unit at Pennsylvania State University. My research primarily involves ungulates and their population demographics.

For the Cooperative Research Units, I primarily handle data and software releases, maintaining several large databases containing Unit data, managing data collection strategies, and the internal Sharepoint website.

Areas of Expertise

GIS/Spatial Analysis, Movement Ecology, Physiology, Population Dynamics, Predator-Prey Dynamics, Species Management, Wildlife Management

Taxon Groups Studied

Ungulates

Research Publications Publication Date
Miller-Butterworth, C. M., D. R. Diefenbach, J. E. Edson, L. A. Hansen, J. D. Jordan, T. M. Gingery, and A. L. Russell. 2021. Demography and loss of genetic diversity in two insular populations of the bobcat (Lynx rufus). Global Ecology and Conservation 26:e01547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01457 | Abstract | Download January 2021
Gingery, T. M., D. R. Diefenbach, C. E. Pritchard, D. C. Ensminger, B. D. Wallingford, and C. S. Rosenberry. 2020. Survival is negatively associated with glucocorticoids in a wild ungulate neonate. Integrative Zoology 16:214-225. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12499 | Download November 2020
Gingery, T. M., D. R. Diefenbach, B. D. Wallingford, and C. S. Rosenberry. 2018. Landscape-level patterns in fawn survival across North America. 82:1003-1013 DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21456. | Download June 2018
Ensminger, D.C., C. Pritchard, T. Langkilde, T. Gingery, J.E. Banfield, W.D. Walter. 2020. The influence of hunting pressure and ecological factors on fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in wild elk. Wildlife Biology 2020(2); https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00683. | Abstract June 2020
Buderman, F. E., T. M. Gingery, D. R. Diefenbach, L. C. Gigliotti, D. Begley-Miller, M. E. McDill, B. D. Wallingford, C. S. Rosenberry, and P. J. Drohan. 2021. Caution is warranted when using animal space-use and movement to infer behavioral states . Animal Movement 9:30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-021-00264-8 | Download June 2021
Presentations Presentation Date
Trowbridge, J., D. R. Diefenbach, T. A. Marques, T. M. McConnell, A. Van Buskirk, C. S. Rosenberry, W. D. Walter, and K. Lamp. Accounting for animal density gradients in distance sampling surveys. Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting, February 2024, Shepherdstown, WV. February 2024
Trowbridge, J., D. R. Diefenbach, T. A. Marques, T. M. McConnell, A. Van Buskirk, C. S. Rosenberry, W. D. Walter, and K. Lamp. Accounting for animal density gradients in distance sampling surveys. Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society, March 2024, State College, PA March 2024
Gingery, T.M., and Diefenbach, D.R. 2022. Fawn Survival Patterns: looking beyond predators.7-11 November 2022, The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting, Spokane, WA. November 2022
Gingery, T. M., D. R. Diefenbach, C. S. Rosenberry, B. D. Wallingford. Landscape-level Patterns in White-tailed deer Fawn Survival in North America. Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting, 21 February 2018, Nashville, TN. February 2018
Gingery, T. M., D. R. Diefenbach, B. D. Wallingford, and C. S. Rosenberry. Space Use of White-tailed Deer Neonates Using Micro-GPS Units. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, 7-11 October 2018, Cleveland, OH, USA. October 2018
Gingery, T. M., D. R. Diefenbach, B. D. Wallingford, and C. S. Rosenberry. Landscape-level patterns in white-tailed deer fawn survival in North America. Annual meeting of The Wildlife Society, 27 September 2017, Albuquerque, NM. September 2017
Gingery, T. M., D. R. Diefenbach, B. D. Wallingford, C. S. Rosenberry. White-tailed deer fawn survival in North America. Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society annual meeting, 1 April 2017, Raystown Lake, PA. April 2017
Gingery, T. M. and D. R. Diefenbach. 2021. Fawn survival patterns: looking beyond predators. Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting, 23 February 2021. February 2021
Diefenbach, D., Tess Gingery 2021. Glucocorticoid hormones associated with reduced White-tailed deer fawn survival. Friday Findings, USGS Ecosystems Mission Area. Virtual Webinar Series. 1 October, 2021.<br><br><b>USGS Friday’s Findings Webinar Approval Form</b><br><b> </b><br><i>Friday's Findings is a public webinar series hosted by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area. Our webinars are typically the first Friday of each month at 2 p.m. eastern time. These half hour webinars are meant to provide listeners an overview of the science topic and chance to ask questions.</i><br><b> </b><br><b>Title:</b> Glucocorticoid hormones associated with reduced White-tailed deer fawn survival<br><br><b>USGS Presenter(s): Tess Gingery, PA Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University; Duane R. Diefenbach, U.S. Geological Survey, , PA Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University</b> October 2020
Diefenbach, D. R., T. A. Marques, J. L. Laake, T. M. Gingery, A. Van Buskirk, C. S. Rosenberry, W. D. Walter, and K. Lamp. Accounting for animal density gradients in distance sampling surveys. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, 6-10 November 2022, Spokane, WA November 2022
Buderman, F. E., T. M. Gingery, D. R. Diefenbach, L. C. Gigliotti, D. Begley-Miller, M. E. McDill, B. D. Wallingford, C. S. Rosenberry, and P. D. Drohan. Guidance on inferring behavioral states from animal location data. 31 May - 11 June, 2021, EURING Technical Meeting, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. June 2021
Buderman, F. E., T. M. Gingery, D. R. Diefenbach, L. C. Gigliotti, D. Begley-Miller, B. D. Wallingford, C. S. Rosenberry. Using animal space-use and movement to infer behavioral states: A cautionary tale. Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting, 23 February 2021. February 2021