“I was the only one in the group who was able to catch a bird. What they hadn’t taken into account before we launched was that the cormorants are a diving bird, so we would paddle up to them and they would just disappear,” Crabb laughed. “There were a whole bunch of us out in the small lake at night, in kayaks, wearing headlamps and paddling around with these nets trying to capture and tag cormorants. There was a study counting Mexican wolves in Arizona and another trying to capture and tag cormorants in Arizona. “I worked in lots of different states doing a variety of projects,” Crabb said. Working in a variety of temporary positions through contracts with federal and state government agencies as well as private contractors, Crabb has amassed a resume as steeped in adventure as it is in diversity and technical acumen. The combination of her two passions led her to a pursue degrees in biology, with an emphasis on research.Īfter earning her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Animal Behavior from Northland College in Wisconsin, followed by a Masters of Science in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Wildlife Conservation and Management from University of Arizona, the engaging brunette embarked on a career path that can only compare to an entire season of the landmark animal program Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. As a dedicated animal lover, she also knew she wanted to work with animals but was not necessarily interested in becoming a veterinarian. This inherent inquisitiveness let Crabb naturally towards a career in research. These were the kinds of things I was thinking about when I was in high school, which wasn’t very typical I don’t think,” she said with a smile. In my mind I was determining what made them fall the way they did….the vehicle must have gone over a bump and dropped a bunch of drops, then there was a clean space before it built up enough volume to drip again, and the drips were much more symmetrical on the smooth part of the road. I got closer and saw that it looked like oil, and I started to observe the pattern of the drips on the road. “I was driving down the road and saw something dark on the pavement in front of me, like something was spilled. The Wisconsin native recalls driving to her part-time high school job at the local Piggly Wiggly. We started with some background information, and it was quickly apparent that if we were expecting a dry, scientific discussion we were (thankfully!) at the wrong place.Ĭrabb said she recognized her innate curiosity and affection for details early on in life, explaining that she knew from the time she was in high school her brain operated a little differently from those of most of her peers. We wanted to get to know Michelle a little better and gain some understanding of the rigorous protocol she manages for counting horses and burros in Herd Management Areas (HMAs). Crabb was in Ely, Nevada, flying the grid with Wild Horse and Burro Specialists Bruce Thompson from the Elko Field Office and Sadie Leyba from the Ely Field Office. We caught up with Michelle Crabb, BLM Population Biologist stationed in Fort Collins, Colorado, to talk about the work she does supporting the surveys used to determine the accurate number of horses and burros on public land managed by the BLM. Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution.
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