So, my thesis was completed and successfully defended on Earth Day 2009 (April 22)! It was incredibly rewarding to be able to see all the results come together and make my hard work worthwhile. If you need something incredibly long and boring to read, check out my thesis in electronic format: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05042009-150307/
I attended the most recent (and my last) "dog-and-pony" show down at the Powell River Project on September 9, 2009 (9-9-9!!). This year my research was the Field Tour highlight, so my advisor and I got to lead a tour of some of my field sites and talk about what we did and what we found. It definitely neat to be able to talk with some miners and other state agency folks to see what they thought about the results of my research. And, of course, it didn't hurt to have another delicious steak/ potato/salad dinner. :)
And the work still isn't done! Right now I'm working on an extension publication for Virginia Cooperative Extension about my research, and also putting together a manuscript for a peer-reviewed wildlife science journal. I decided to move my office around the corner, pick up a couple of new advisors and start all over with a new project! Stay tuned!
