home address:
335 W. Kentucky Ave.
Richmond, KY 40475
(859) 626-9774
email: earnhardt2k@yahoo.com

Michael Darren Baker

work address:
223 T.P. Cooper Bldg.
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40546-0073
(859) 257-8571

Education
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Doctor of Philosophy in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. December 2000.
GPA: 3.8/4.0
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. Master of Science in Forestry, with an emphasis on Wildlife Biology. August 1996.
GPA: 3.7/4.0 GRE: V: 640 Q: 620 A: 710
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. Bachelor of Science in Forestry, Biology option and Biology minor. August 1993.
GPA: 2.9/4.0

Experience

01/15/01 -
present

Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky
Post-doctoral Scholar, Wildlife Ecology Laboratory, Duties: Co-principal Investigator on a project focusing on the day roost habitat requirements of long-legged myotis (Myotis volans) in dry forests of the Pacific Northwest. My field skills include capture & identification of bat fauna, attachment of transmitters & use of radiotelemetry to locate day roosts, roost emergence counts, and habitat assessment. I hired & supervised field technicians and selected study areas. I was instrumental in the completion of an extremely successful first field season. I possess knowledge of the biology, ecology, and conservation of forest bats, work well independently & as a member of teams, & possess effective organizational & communication skills.

Summer
'99 & '00 Private Contractor: I performed point counts for the US Fish & Wildlife Service on Bogue Chitto NWR and for the US Forest Service on the Homochitto National Forest.

04/01/96 -
05/31/00

School of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, Louisiana State University
Research Assistant, Avian Ecology Laboratory, Duties: Principal Investigator on a project focusing on the reproductive success of forest birds in the upland pine forest on Barksdale Air Force Base. My field skills include nest-searching & monitoring, mistnetting & banding, point-counts, & GPS unit operation. I also hired & supervised field crews. I am proficient using MS Office and SAS statistical software and am becoming proficient with Arcview and Fragstats. I possess knowledge of the biology, ecology, & conservation of Neotropical migratory birds. The focus of my dissertation research was habitat and fragmentation influences on the nesting success of nongame forest birds.

01/15/93 -
12/31/95

Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky
Research Assistant, Wildlife Ecology Laboratory, Duties: Assisting in varied research activities including studies of threatened and endangered bat species. Other fieldwork duties included the collection and identification of herpetofauna and small mammals. I have assisted in a survey of copperbelly watersnakes. The focus of my Masters thesis research was measuring the response of breeding Neotropical migrant landbirds to a range of timber harvest prescriptions on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky.

Publications
Lacki, M. J., and M. D. Baker. In review. A prospective power analysis and review of habitat measures used in studies of tree-roosting bats. Wildlife Society Bulletin in review.

Baker, M. D. 2000. Habitat influences on nongame bird nest success in a managed and fragmented southern pine forest. Ph.D. Dissertation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 238pp.

Lacki, M. J. and M. D. Baker. 1998. Observations of forest-interior bird communities in older-growth forests in eastern Kentucky. Proceedings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences. 59(2):174-177.

Baker, M. D., and M. J. Lacki. 1997. Short-term changes in bird communities in response to silvicultural prescriptions. Forest Ecology and Management 96 (1997) 27-36.

Adams, J. P., M. J. Lacki, and M. D. Baker. 1996. Response of herpetofauna to silvicultural prescriptions in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 50:312-320.

Baker, M. D. 1996. Composition of avifaunal breeding communities in response to silvicultural prescriptions on the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky. M.S. Thesis, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 151pp.

Papers Presented
Michael D. Baker. 2000. Nongame bird nest success in a managed and fragmented pine forest. Seventh Annual National Meeting of The Wildlife Society, Nashville, TN.

Michael D. Baker. 1997. An investigation of avian reproductive success in a managed pine forest. Symposium of current research of staff and students of Dr. Robert Hamilton's avian ecology laboratory. LSU, School of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, Baton Rouge, LA.

Michael D. Baker. 1995. Composition of breeding avifaunal communities in response to silvicultural prescriptions on the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky. Forty-ninth Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Nashville, TN.

Michael D. Baker. 1994. Avian community structure in response to timber harvest methods in Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky: An analysis of pre-treatment data. Meeting of the Kentucky Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Cumberland Lake, KY.

Awards and Professional Society Memberships

Served as paper reviewer for Nongame Bird Ecology & Conservation session of The Wildlife Society's 2000 national meeting in Nashville, TN.
Member of The Wildlife Society since 2000.
Member of The Society for Conservation Biology since 1995.
Outstanding Student Paper Award 1994 - Kentucky Chapter of the Wildlife Society.

Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Research Goals
I believe that human beings have a responsibility to mitigate their impacts on natural communities and processes. I feel that the conservation of nongame species of wildlife and their habitats is essential in this regard. Clearly, high quality College and University level instruction play highly important roles in helping students understand natural systems and their importance. My objectives are to continue to be a contributing member of the wildlife research community and to acquire further training and experience in teaching. In these capacities, I believe that I will have a positive influence on the future of nongame wildlife conservation, which is my ultimate goal.

My professional interests include becoming an integral part of forest wildlife management and conservation efforts through education and research. I am especially interested in identifying and facilitating ways in which forestry practices can be harmonized with the conservation of forest wildlife. My teaching philosophy includes an emphasis on the importance of learning through tactile field experiences. I intend to utilize University and publicly owned forests to provide research opportunities during laboratory sections of upper division courses. I feel that class projects can be invaluable to a better understanding of the lecture material in almost any wildlife course. I believe that such projects can and should result in the submission of manuscripts for publication and provide opportunities for students to gain experience in the presentation of findings at scientific meetings.

My research interests are varied, but are primarily concerned with the conservation of nongame wildlife. I am most intrigued by questions related to the biology and ecology of species that are negatively impacted by the use of natural resources by human beings. I have special interests in chiropteran and avian ecology and hope to investigate behavioral adaptations by forest bats and birds to the increasing pressures associated with alteration of their habitats. Eventually, I intend to investigate the life histories of, and ecological interactions among, a wide variety of nongame forest vertebrates. I hope ultimately to help people understand natural communities and processes in a manner that will serve to lessen the conflict between human "needs" and the needs of other life forms.

01/15/01 - present	Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky Post-doctoral Scholar, Wildlife Ecology Laboratory, Duties: Co-principal Investigator on a project focusing on the day roost habitat requirements of long-legged myotis (Myotis volans) in dry forests of the Pacific Northwest. My field skills include capture & identification of bat fauna, attachment of transmitters & use of radiotelemetry to locate day roosts, roost emergence counts, and habitat assessment. I hired & supervised field technicians and selected study areas. I was instrumental in the completion of an extremely successful first field season. I possess knowledge of the biology, ecology, and conservation of forest bats, work well independently & as a member of teams, & possess effective organizational & communication skills.
Summer '99 & '00	Private Contractor: I performed point counts for the US Fish & Wildlife Service on Bogue Chitto NWR and for the US Forest Service on the Homochitto National Forest.
04/01/96 - 05/31/00	School of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, Louisiana State University Research Assistant, Avian Ecology Laboratory, Duties: Principal Investigator on a project focusing on the reproductive success of forest birds in the upland pine forest on Barksdale Air Force Base. My field skills include nest-searching & monitoring, mistnetting & banding, point-counts, & GPS unit operation. I also hired & supervised field crews. I am proficient using MS Office and SAS statistical software and am becoming proficient with Arcview and Fragstats. I possess knowledge of the biology, ecology, & conservation of Neotropical migratory birds. The focus of my dissertation research was habitat and fragmentation influences on the nesting success of nongame forest birds.
01/15/93 - 12/31/95	Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky Research Assistant, Wildlife Ecology Laboratory, Duties: Assisting in varied research activities including studies of threatened and endangered bat species. Other fieldwork duties included the collection and identification of herpetofauna and small mammals. I have assisted in a survey of copperbelly watersnakes. The focus of my Masters thesis research was measuring the response of breeding Neotropical migrant landbirds to a range of timber harvest prescriptions on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky.