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RRC Staff

Current Raptor Research Center Staff:

Julie Heath, PhD

RRC Director
(208) 426-3208
julieheath@boisestate.edu

Julie Heath holding a Golden Eagle nestling for banding
Julie Heath holding a banded Golden Eagle nestling at the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.

Julie Heath began serving as Interim Director for the RRC in June 2024. Heath was a 1996 alum of the Boise State University M.S. Raptor Biology program before receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in 2002. Heath has been a professor at Boise State in the Department of Biological Sciences since 2007 and has enjoyed mentoring numerous graduate and undergraduate students along the way. Heath’s current projects focus on how birds respond to environmental change including climate change, human disturbance, and landscape changes. Frequently studied raptor species include Golden Eagles and American Kestrels. Read more about Heath and her students’ work on Global Change Ecology of Birds.

Stacey Smith

RRC Research Center Administrator
(208) 426-3329
staceysmith870@boisestate.edu

Stacey Smith releasing a Cooper's Hawk after it was banded at Boise Peak
Stacey Smith releasing a Cooper’s Hawk after it was banded at Boise Peak, Idaho

Stacey Smith came to the RRC in 2020 with seven years of administrative experience in both the private and public sectors and B.S. degrees in Environmental Biology and Zoo Science. Her background includes field experience with threatened and endangered bird and mammal species that facilitates her understanding of staff and student needs and her responsiveness to research priorities. Smith is the only office staff for the RRC and works on the center’s business administration, accounting and compliance, human resource management, website development and communication, planning/coordination for events and travel, and building coordination. She especially enjoys encouraging and supporting students’ success in Boise State programs.

Current RRC Seasonal Staff:

Brooklyn Dormer – Research Technician

Raptor Biology Faculty:

Raptor Biology Affiliate Faculty:

Dr. Todd Katzner

tkatzner@usgs.gov

USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Raptor Faculty News

Research in flight: Julie Heath
Boise State Raptor Researchers Visit United Arab Emirates
Raptor Research Center Students and Faculty in “A Bird’s Eye View” Video Series
Galla Discusses Grouse and Gyrfalcon Research on Idaho Matters
Heath Discusses the “Role of Raptors” on Local Podcast

Former RRC Directors:

  • Dr. Jim Belthoff – Raptor Research Center Interim Director 2018-2024
  • Dr. Marc Bechard – Raptor Research Center Director, 2014-2018
  • Dr. Mark R. Fuller – Raptor Research Center Director, 1994-2013
  • Dr. Tom Cade (deceased) – Raptor Research Center Director, 1987-1993
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