Makenzie Henk

Makenzie Henk
Graduation Year: 
2021

Makenzie is conducting a spatial capture-recapture analysis on Roosevelt elk in central Humboldt County. Her research utilizes non-invasive methods to collect fecal DNA in two primary habitat types, open grassy hillsides and forest. Her field work consists of using an unstructured search method and a detection dog to test different methodologies for finding elk scat. The scat will be genotyped to get individual identities, and Bayesian models will be developed to obtain population estimates for the elk in this area. The results are expected to help government agencies better manage the elk population in Humboldt County.