Deborah M. Finch

I am a scientist emeritus in the Maintaining Resilient Dryland Ecosystems Science program and focus much of my personal research on riparian and rangeland environments, specifically evaluating the outcomes of restoration treatments, fire and the removal of invasive plant species and fuel loads to reduce the risk of fire and determining the effects of those measures on biological diversity, threatened, endangered and rare species, Neotropical migratory birds, riparian resources, and interactions among different elements of ecosystems. Through much of my career, I have evaluated how processes and functions change and how managers can improve conditions and reduce vulnerability of managed and sensitive ecosystems. 

My research has informed managers and scientists about how natural and anthropogenic disturbances and restoration affect species populations and productivity and provide guidance for mitigating negative effects. My publications and consultations are used by managers to solve problems, recover threatened and endangered species, develop monitoring protocols, and manage biological diversity.

I am interested in how plants and animals respond to the effects of natural resource practices and natural phenomena. I work to determine the vulnerability of species to shifts in climate, fire, and invasive speciees and to develop support tools that managers can use to assist species to adapt to changing conditions. I have worked in urban and wildland-urban interface environments, gauging how federal agency decision-makers make management decisions on urban ecosystem services and respond to stressors associated with open space in and near city environments. Developing research and management partnerships to conserve native plant and animal species and their habitats and to reduce stress on ecosystems is of interest to me.

My research and program management aids land managers in evaluating ways to manage effects of stressors and disturbances, particularly in riparian and dryland ecosystems and to formulate approaches to restore damaged lands. Earlier in my career, I was recognized for my contributions to the field of landbird conservation by PIF in 2006. PIF is a cooperative effort dedicated to combining, coordinating, and increasing public and private resources for the purpose of conserving bird populations in North and South America. I have served as leader for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Recovery Team and have published conservation assessments on many other species. I was the program manager for the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program for 10 years and the project leader for a grasslands and riparian unit for 15 years. I also competed for and was awarded funds for the Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem Management Research Unit, a research effort that produced 272 publications since 1994.