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

Utah Staff Member


Dr. John A. Bissonette

Dr.John A. Bissonette, Ph.D.
Leader, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Professor, Department of Wildland Resources
Utah State University, Logan, UT

Unit Leader
Phone: (435) 797 - 7565
Email: john.bissonette@usu.edu
Faculty Website

Links:

Education

  • Ph D University of Michigan 1975
  • Other Yale University 1970
  • BA University of Vermont 1964

Biography

John received a B.A. from the University of Vermont, a M.F.S. from Yale University and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He has been Leader of the Utah Unit since 1985.. Landscape ecology, vertebrate population response to altered landscaped, effects of the roaded landscape on animal populations, wildlife management.. John has taught both a full semester class at Utah State University and short 2-3 week workshops in Europe emphasizing the theory and practice of landscape ecology. My approach addresses the bio-physical aspects of the landscape and how they influence wildlife populations.

Research Publications Publication Date
Zakrajsek, E. J., and J. A. Bissonette. 2005. Ranking the risk of wildlife species hazadous to military aircraft. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33(1):258-264 April 2005
Zakrajsek, E. J., and J. A. Bissonette. 2001. Nocturnal bird-avoidance modeling with mobil-marine radar. Bird Strike 2001:185-194. April 2001
Wilson, T. L., E. J. Johnson, and J. A. Bissonette. 2009. Relative importance of habitat area and isolation for bird occurrence patterns in a naturally patchy landscape. Landscape Ecology 24:351-360. | Publisher Website April 2009
Switalski, T. A., J. A. Bissonette, T. H. DeLuca, C. H. Luce, and M. A. Madej. 2003. Wildland road removal: research needs. Pages 642-646 In 2003 Proceedings of the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, edited by C. Leroy Irwin, Paul Garrett, and K. P. McDermott. Raleigh, NC: Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, 2003. November 2003
Switalski, A., J. A. Bissonette, T. H, Deluca, C. H. Luce, and M. A. Madej. 2004. Benefits and impacts from road removal. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2(1):21-28. March 2004
Storch, I., and J. A. Bissonette. 2003. The problem of linking scales in the use of indicator species in conservation biology. Pages 73-92 in J. A. Bissonette and I. Storch 2003. Landscape theory and resource management: Linking theory with practice. Island Press, Covelo, CA January 2003
Santos, M. J., H. M. Matos, J. A. Bissonette, and M. Santos-Reis. 2006. Poster. Riparian areas in the fragmented landscape of southern Portugal: applications for conservation planning. First European Congress of Conservation Biology, 22-26 August 2006, Eger, Hungary. (August 2006) August 2006
Rosa, S., and J. A. Bissonette. 2007. Roads and desert small mammal communities: Positive interaction? Pages 562-566 IN Proceedings of the 2007 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET), C. L. Irwin, D. Nelson, and K. P. McDermott. Raleigh NC. : Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, 2007. Little Rock, AR. October 2007
Meyers, P., W. D. Ostrand, M. Conover, and J. A. Bissonette. 2005. Effect of perch sites on mourning dove nest distribution. Western North American Naturalist 65(1):64-69. October 2004
Meyers, P. M., W. D. Ostrand, M. R. Conover, and J. A. Bissonette. 2006. Assessing differences in mourning dove Zenaida macroura marginella nesting activity after 40 years. Wildlife Biology 12(2):171-178. (June 2006) June 2006
McClure, M. F., J. A. Bissonette, and M. R. Conover. Migratory strategies, fawn recruitment, and winter habitat use by urban and rural mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). 2005. European Journal of Wildlife Research. In Press. Published Online First 11 May 2005. February 2005
Loureiro, F., J. A. Bissonette, D. W Macdonald, and M. Santos-Reis. 2009. Temporal variation in availability of Mediterranean food resources: Do badgers track them? Wildlife Biology 15:197-206. . | Publisher Website April 2009
Leidolf and J. A. Bissonette. 2009. The effects of fire on avian communities: spatio-temporal attributes of the literature 1912-2003. International Journal of Wildland Fire 18(1) Article ID: WF08019 | Publisher Website July 2009
Larsen, R. T., J. A. Bissonette, J. T. Flinders, and A. C. Robinson. 2011. Does small-perimeter fencing inhibit antelope and mule deer use of free water? Journal of Wildlife Management 75(6):1417-1425. April 2011
Larsen, R. T., J. A. Bissonette, J. T. Flinders, M. B. Hooten. (2010). Summer spatial patterning of chukars in relation to free water in western Utah. Landscape Ecology 25:135-145. DOI 10.1007/s10980-009-9407-z | Publisher Website March 2010
Johnson, J. A., B. A. Andres, and J. A. Bissonette. 2008. Birds of the Major Mainland Rivers of Southeastern Alaska. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-739. Portland, OR: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 87 p. February 2008
Hellgren, E. C., and J. A. Bissonette. 2003. Collared peccary. Chapter 41, Pages 867-876 in G. A. Feldhamer and B. Thompson, eds., Wild mammals of North America: biology, management, and economics. Second edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA. April 2003
Gunson, K. E., A. P. Clevenger, A. T. Ford, J. A. Bissonette, and A. Hardy. 2009. A comparison of data sets varying in spatial accuracy used to predict the occurrence of wildlife-vehicle collisions. Environmental Management 44(2):268-277. July 2009
Grilo, C., M. Cruz, J. A. Bissonette, and M. Santos-Reis. Poster. 2006. The role of patch size and isolation to carnivore relative abundance. First European Congress of Conservation Biology, 22-26 August, 2006, Eger, Hungary. (August 2006) August 2006
Grilo, C., J.A. Bissonette, and P. A. Cramer. 2010. Mitigation measures to reduce impacts on biodiversity. Pages 73-114 In S. R. Jones (ed.) Highways: Construction, Management, and Maintenance, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Hauppauge, NY 11788. ISBN:978-1-61728-862-3 https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=15946 | Abstract | Publisher Website December 2010
Grilo, C., J. A. Bissonette, and M. Santos-Reis. 2008. Response of carnivores to existing highway culverts and underpasses: Implications for road planning and mitigation. Biological Conservation 17(7):1685-1699 (On-Line: DOI 10. 1007/s10531-008-9374-8. | Publisher Website January 2008
Grilo, C., F. Ascensão, M. Santos-Reis, and J. A. Bissonette. 2011. Do well connected landscapes promote road-related mortality. European Journal of Wildlife Research.57:707-716. (Online first DOI: 10.1007/s10344-010-0478-6) March 2011
Grilo, C., C. Silva, C. Baltazar, L. Gomes, J. A. Bissonette & M. Santos-Reis. 2007. Patterns of carnivore road casualties in southern Portugal. . Page 556-561 IN Proceedings of the 2007 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET), C. L. Irwin, D. Nelson, and K. P. McDermott. Raleigh NC. : Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, 2007. Little Rock, AR. October 2007
Forman, R. T. T., D. Sperling, J. A. Bissonette, A. P. Clevenger, C. D. Cutshall, V. H. Dale, L. Fahrig, R. France, C. R. Goldman, K. Heanue, J. A. Jones, F. J. Swanson, T. Turrentine, & T. C. Winter. 2003. Road Ecology; Science and Solutions. Island Press, Covelo, CA. January 2003
Cramer, P. C., and J. A. Bissonette. 2007. Integrating Wildlife Crossings into Transportation Plans in Projects in North America. Pages 328-334 IN Proceedings of the 2007 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET), C. L. Irwin, D. Nelson, and K. P. McDermott. Raleigh NC. : Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, 2007. October 2007
Cramer, P. C., and J. A. Bissonette. 2006. Wildlife crossings in North America: The state of the science and practice. Pp. 442-447; in Proceedings of the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, San Diego, California. Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, NC. http://www. icoet.net/ICOET_2005/proceedings/06IPCh9-442-460. pdf October 2006
C. Grilo, J. A. Bissonette & M. Santos-Reis 2009. Spatial-temporal patterns in Mediterranean carnivore road casualties: consequences for mitigation. Biological Conservation 142:301-313 (first online (2008)doi:10. 1016/j. biocon. 2008. 10. 026). | Publisher Website April 2009
Bjurlin, C., and J. A. Bissonette. 2004. Survival during early life stages of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the South-Central Mojave Desert. Journal of Herpetology 38(4):527-535. May 2004
Bissonette, J., and I. Storch. 2003. Understanding Fragmentation: Getting Closer to 42. Conservation Ecology 7(2): r5. [online] URL: http://www. consecol. org/vol7/iss2/resp5 September 2003
Bissonette, J., C. Kassar, and L. J. Cook. 2008. Assessment of costs associated with deer-vehicle collisions: Human death and injury, vehicle damage, and deer loss. Human Wildlife Conflicts 2(1):17-27. January 2008
Bissonette, J. A., and W. A. Adair. 2008 Restoring habitat permeability to roaded landscapes with isometrically-scaled wildlife crossings. Biological Conservation141(2):482-488. digital object identifier: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1016/j. biocon. 2007. 10. 019 | Publisher Website February 2008
Bissonette, J. A., and S. Rosa, 2009. Road zone effects in small mammal communities. Ecology and Society 14(1):27 | Publisher Website April 2009
Bissonette, J. A., and P. C. Cramer. 2007. Abstract: North American Decision Guidelines for mitigating roads for wildlife. Page 422 IN Proceedings of the 2007 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET), C. L. Irwin, D. Nelson, and K. P. McDermott. Raleigh NC. : Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, 2007. Little Rock, AR. 21 May 2007. October 2007
Bissonette, J. A., and I. Storch. 2002. Fragmentation: is the message clear?Conservation Ecology 6(2): 14. [online] URL: http://www. consecol. org/vol6/iss2/art14 November 2002
Bissonette, J. A., and I. Storch, eds. 2007 Temporal dimensions of landscape ecology: Wildlife responses to variable resources. Springer-Verlag, New York and Heidelberg. ( January 2007
Bissonette, J. A., and I. Storch (eds). 2003. Landscape theory and resource management: Linking theory with practice. Island Press, Covelo, CA 463pp. January 2003
Bissonette, J. A., and C. Kassar. 2008 Location of deer-vehicle collisions are unrelated to traffic volume or posted speed limits. Human Wildlife Conflicts 2(1):122-130. January 2008
Bissonette, J. A., C. S. Loftin, D. M. Leslie, Jr., L. A. Nordstrom, and W. J. Fleming. 2000. The cooperative research unit program and wildlife education: historic development, future challenges. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28:534-541. November 2000
Bissonette, J. A. 2008. Book Review of Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change: An Ecological and Conservation Synthesis by D. B. Lindenmayer and J. Fischer, 2006. Ecological Restoration 26(2):162-164 June 2008
Bissonette, J. A. 2007. Resource acquisition and animal response in dynamic landscapes: Keeping the books. Pages 12-29 in: J. A. Bissonette, and I. Storch, eds. 2007. Temporal dimensions of landscape ecology: Wildlife responses to variable resources. Springer-Verlag, New York and Heidelberg. (In Press, chapter in edited book submitted to publisher July 2006) January 2007
Bissonette, J. A. 2005. Thinking differently at larger ecological scales: developing the strategy. Proc. 12th Ann. Meeting Australasian Wildl. Manage. Soc., Darwin, Australia. September 2005
Bissonette, J. A. 2003. Linking landscape patterns to biological reality. Pages 15-34 in J. A. Bissonette and I. Storch (eds) ) Landscape Theory and resource management: Linking theory with practice. Island Press, Covelo, California. September 2003
Bissonette, J. A. 2002. Scaling roads and wildlife: the Cinderella principle. Zeitschrift fuer Jagdwissenschaft 48(2002):208-214 (supplement). March 2003
Bissonette, J. A. 2002. Linking theory, data, and practice in conservation: implications for fragmentation studies. Revista De Biologia 20(1-4): 7-16. September 2002
Bissonette, J. A. 2001. American marten habitat choice: scaled multiple hypotheses provide some answers. Proc. Third Biennial Conf. on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, 24-27 Sept. 1995: 53-56. January 2001
Bissonette, J. A. 1997. Wildlife and Landscape Ecology: Effects of Pattern and Scale. Springer-Verlag, New York. 410pp. August 1997
Presentations Presentation Date
Wilson, T., and J. A. Bissonette. 2006. Moving beyond area-density relationships- a challenge for conservation planning. US-IALE, San Diego, CA, 31 March. March 2006
Wilson, T. L., E. J. Johnson, and J. A. Bissonette. 2005. Supplementation and sagebrush habitat specialists in patchy mountainous landscapes. US-IALE, Syracuse N.Y. 2005 14 March. March 2005
Technical Publications Publication Date
Zakrajsek, E. J., and J. A. Bissonette. 2001. Nocturnal bird-avoidance modeling with mobil-marine radar. Bird Strike 2001 185-194. March 2001
Zakrajsek, E. J., and J. A. Bissonette. 2001. Development of a bird-avoidance model for Naval Air Facility El Centro, California. Project Report No. 5. USGS Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan Utah. 2001(5):1-81. October 2001
Sales-Louis, T., J. A. Bissonette, and M. Santos-Reis. 2008 Importance of pre-classifying river stretches for otter abundance sampling. Tenth International Otter Colloquium Proceedings. http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/IUCNOSGBull.html August 2008
Rosa, S., and J. A. Bissonette. 2007. Evaluation of underpass effectiveness on the Wildcat Highway and Salina Canyon improvement projects: Interstate highways I-15 and I-70, southern Utah. Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management, Utah Department of Transportation, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 33 pages. May 2007
McClure, M. F. , J. A. Bissonette, and M. R. Conover. 2001. Urban deer investigations: ecological research for management solutions. Project Report No. 3. USGS Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan Utah. 2001(3):1-23. October 2001
Kassar, C., and J. A. Bissonette. 2005. Deer-vehicle crash hotspots in Utah: Data for effective mitigation. UTCFWRU Project Report No. 2005(1):1-128. Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan Utah. (found on the following website: http://www.cnr.usu.edu/faculty/jbissonette/index.htm) April 2005
Johnson, J. A., B. A. Andres, and J. A. Bissonette. In Press. Distribution, abundance, and habitat associations of birds during the breeding season at major mainland rivers of southeastern Alaska. USFWS Report Series publication. (Accepted September 2006) September 2006
Cramer, P., S. Rosa, and J. A. Bissonette. 2006. Condition of Highway 91 Wildlife Underpasses, Escape Ramps, and Fencing in Sardine Canyon, Wellsville Mountains, Utah, Winter 2006. Project Report No. 1. USGS Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan Utah. 2006(1):1-20. May 2006
Cramer, P. and J. A. Bissonette 2009. Transportation ecology and wildlife passages: The state of the practice and science of making roads better for wildlife. In Press Transportation News 262:12-19 (May-June 2009) August 2009
Bunnell, K. D., J. J. Shirley, J. T. Flinders, M. L. Wolfe, and J. A. Bissonette. 2004. Forest carnivores occurrence, distribution and limiting factors: Canada Lynx and wolverine surveys in Utah. Final Report to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, U. S. Forest Service, and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 113 pp. August 2004
Bjurlin, C. D., and J. A. Bissonette. 2001. The impact of predator communities on early life history stage survival of the desert tortoise at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. Project Report No. 2. USGS Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan Utah. 2001(2):1-81. October 2001
Bissonette, J. A., and P. Cramer. 2005. Evaluation of the use and effectiveness of wildlife crossings. Interim Report prepared for the National Academy of Sciences (Transportation Research Board-National Cooperative Highway Research Program. 50 pages with 10 Appendices. December 2004
Bissonette, J. A., and P. C. Cramer. 2008. Evaluation of the use and effectiveness of wildlife crossings. NCHRP Report 615, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Science, 161 pages. URL: http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=9369. August 2008
Bissonette, J. A., and M. Hammer. 2000. Effectiveness of earthen return ramps in reducing big game highway mortality in Utah. Project Report No. 1. USGS Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan Utah. 2000:1-29. January 2000
Bissonette, J. A., M. E. Lehnert, and M. Harrison. 2000. Lanes of destruction: effectiveness of highway right-of-way escape structures for mule deer. Abstract P. 124. In Wildlife and Highways: Seeking solutions to an ecological and socio-economic dilemma. (Proceedings of the symposium). 7th Ann. Meeting of the Wildlife Society, 12-16 September, Nashville TX. January 2000
Bissonette, J. A., M. E. Lehnert, and J. W. Haefner. 2000. Dead on the road: mitigative models to address deer highway mortality. Abstract P. 52. In Wildlife and Highways: Seeking solutions to an ecological and socio-economic dilemma. (Proceedings of the symposium). 7th Ann. Meeting of the Wildlife Society, 12-16 September, Nashville TX. January 2000
Bissonette, J. A., G. C. White, and P. R. Krausman. 2010. Review of Mule Deer Monitoring Plan, Pinedale (WY) Anticline. Submitted to the Mule Deer Monitoring Plan Review Committee, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Wyoming BLM. 11 Pages. May 2010
Bissonette, J. A., E. Johnson, and T. L. Wilson. 2006. Sagebrush-Dominated Mountain Meadows Bird and Small Mammal Community Dynamics. Project Report No. 4. USGS Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan Utah. 2006(4):1-166 (theses numbered independently within report) May 2006
Bissonette, J. A., 2008. Evaluation of the use and effectiveness of wildlife crossings. NCHRP Report 615, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Science, 161 pages. URL: http://environment.transportation.org/environmental_issues/wildlife_roads/decision_guide/manual March 2008
Bingham, R. J., R. T. Larsen, J. A. Bissonette, and J. T. Flinders. 2009. Causes and consequences of ingested lead pellets in Chukars. Extended abstract Pages 190-193 in R. T. Watson, M. Fuller, M. Pokras, and W. G. Hunt, (Eds.). Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans. The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, USA. DOI 10.4080/ilsa.2009.0204 August 2009
Adair, W. A., and J. A. Bissonette. 2004. Vegetation exclosures: What can they tell us about long-term range trends. Final Report to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. 176 pages including 4 Appendicies and 18 CDs (~7.5 Gb of ~14k scanned documents. September 2004
Adair, W. A., J. A. Bissonette, and B. Hearn. 2001. American marten resting-site characteristics in western Newfoundland. Pages --------- in Harrison, D. J. & B. Hearn, eds. Proceedings Third International Martes Symposium. In Press January 2000
Role and Organization Individual         Start Date        End Date       
The Wildlife Society - TWS Committee 4th International Wildlife Management Congress Bissonette May 2010 Present
The Wildlife Society - TWS 75th Anniversary Celebration Committee (Ad Hoc) Bissonette November 2009 Present
The Wildlife Society - Member, Support of Symposia and Conferences Committee, 2000-2001 Bissonette March 2000 September 2001
The Wildlife Society - Member, Planning Committee, Third International Wildlife Management Congress (Christchurch, New Zealand) Bissonette April 2003 September 2004
The Wildlife Society - Member, Operations Review Team Bissonette June 2004 September 2004
The Wildlife Society - Member, International Meetings Committee Bissonette September 2000 September 2003
The Wildlife Society - Member, Honorary Membership and Special Recognition Service Awards Committee Bissonette September 2007 September 2008
The Wildlife Society - Member Bissonette January 1970 Present
International Association for Landscape Ecology - Member, foreign scholar travel Committee Bissonette January 2000 Present
International Association for Landscape Ecology - Member, U.S. Chapter Bissonette January 2002 Present
International Association for Landscape Ecology - U.S. Chapter (local host-annual meeting 2009 in Snowbird Utah) Bissonette April 2009 April 2009