Robert A. Long

About

I am a Senior Conservation Scientist in the Field Conservation Department at Woodland Park Zoo, where I direct the Living Northwest Program and the Northwest Carnivore Recovery Program. I am also an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington.

My research focuses on the ecology and conservation of mammalian carnivores in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, with particular emphasis on noninvasive survey methods, occupancy modeling, and applied conservation of species such as wolverine, fisher, marten, lynx, and gray wolf. I was lead editor of Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores (Island Press, 2008), a comprehensive reference for the field.

Before joining Woodland Park Zoo in 2013, I was a Research Ecologist with the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University, and a postdoctoral researcher with the Adirondack Nature Conservancy. I earned my Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont in 2006.

Graduate Students Advised

PhD

Samantha Kreling — Ph.D., 2021–2025. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington.
Robbie Emmet — Ph.D., 2017–2021. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington.

M.S.

Dylan Hubl — M.S., 2022–2024. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington.
Michael Havrda — M.S., 2015–2022. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington.
Joseph Smith — M.S., 2009–2010. Department of Ecology, Montana State University.

Selected Invited Talks

This section is in progress. The current CV does not include an invited talks list — content will be added here as it becomes available.

Selected Publications

This list is a selected subset and may not be up to date. For a full list please see my CV or Google Scholar.

* denotes equal contribution ^ denotes equal advising

Urbanization drives patterns of resource partitioning among coyotes

Kreling, S.E., Reese, E.M., Cavalluzzi, O.M., et al., Prugh, L.R.

Preprint, March 2026

[preprint]

When the wild things are: Defining mammalian diel activity and plasticity

Devarajan, K., Fidino, M., Farris, Z., et al., Gerber, B.D.

Science Advances, February 2025

[paper]

SNAPSHOT USA 2019–2023: The first five years of data from a coordinated camera trap survey of the United States

Rooney, B., Kays, R., Cove, M., et al., Severud, W.

Global Ecology and Biogeography, January 2025

[paper]

An overwinter protocol for detecting wolverines and other carnivores at camera traps paired with automated scent dispensers

Long, R.A., MacKay, P., Sauder, J.D., Sinclair, M., Aubry, K.B., Raley, C.M.

Ecology and Evolution, 14: e11290, 2024

[paper]

Climate, food and humans predict communities of mammals in the United States

Kays, R., Snider, M.H., Hess, G., et al., Parsons, A.W.

Diversity and Distributions, June 2024

[paper]

Environmental contamination predicts mammal diversity and mesocarnivore activity in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area

Hentati, Y., Estien, C.O., Hawn, Z., Jordan, M.J., Long, R.A., Mueller, R., Remine, K.R., Prugh, L.R., Schell, C.J.

Urban Ecosystems, 28: 152, 2025

[paper]

City divided: Unveiling family ties and genetic structuring of coyotes in Seattle

Kreling, S.E., Reese, E.M., Cavalluzzi, O.M., Bozzi, N.B., Messinger, R., Schell, C.J., Long, R.A., Prugh, L.R.

Molecular Ecology, e17427, 2024

[paper]

Genetic connectivity of wolverines in western North America

Day, C.C., et al. (including Long, R.A.)

Scientific Reports, 14: 28248, 2024

[paper]

Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape

Burton, A.C., et al. (including Long, R.A.)

Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2024

[paper]

Wolverines (Gulo gulo) in a changing landscape and warming climate: A decadal synthesis of global conservation ecology research

Fisher, J.T., Murray, S., Barrueto, M., Carroll, K., Clevenger, A.P., Hausleitner, D., Harrower, W., Heim, N., Heinemeyer, K., Jacob, A., Jung, T., Kortello, A., Ladle, A., Long, R.A., MacKay, P., Sawaya, M.A.

Global Ecology and Conservation, 34: e02019, 2022

[paper]

Modeling multi-scale occupancy for monitoring rare and highly mobile species

Emmet, R.L., Long, R.A., Gardner, B.

Ecosphere, 12: e03637, 2021

[paper]

Noninvasive survey methods for carnivores

Long, R.A., MacKay, P., Zielinski, W.J., Ray, J.C. (editors)

Island Press, Washington, DC, 2008

[book]

Projects

Northwest Carnivore Recovery Program

Woodland Park Zoo's program supporting the recovery and conservation of native carnivores across the Pacific Northwest, including wolverines, fishers, Pacific martens, Canada lynx, and others.

[link]

Applications & Calculators

Scent Dispenser Utility

Tools for flashing firmware and downloading log data from WPZ scent dispenser devices.

Open

Scent Lure Calculators

Web tools for formulating wildlife scent lures used in camera trap and live-trap surveys.

Open

CV & Bio

Download my CV here. Last updated February 2026.

Bio for invited talks

Robert Long is a Senior Conservation Scientist in Woodland Park Zoo's Field Conservation Department in Seattle, where he directs the Living Northwest Program and the Northwest Carnivore Recovery Program. He is also an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington. He received his Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont in 2006, and holds an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine and B.S. degrees in Wildlife Management and Biology from Humboldt State University. With more than two decades of experience studying mammalian carnivores, Long is a specialist in noninvasive wildlife research methods and was lead editor of Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores (Island Press, 2008). His work has been recognized with a Wilburforce Fellowship in Conservation Science and a Switzer Environmental Fellowship.

Connect

If you're interested in collaborating, or have questions, please reach out.

Email: robert.long@zoo.org

Affiliation: Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA