Christopher Neill '08 is really getting to know the porcupines near campus. Chris, a graduate of Saranac Lake (NY) High School, used a University Fellowship to examine seasonal den use of the North American porcupine in wooded parts of the campus. His research, which he is continuing as a senior research project, involves habitat surveys, locating and characterizing dens, and trapping porcupines,” he says.

Chris says that the entire project hinges on individual porcupine identification. Once he traps a porcupine, he tags it with a microchip (the same as microchipping a dog or other pet) and then takes its footprints.

Footprinting is a new technique Chris is trying to develop for porcupine identification. “The theory is that each footprint is be unique, like a human fingerprint, and therefore I will be able identify individuals,” Chris says.  

Chris started getting interested about working with animals when he took Mammalogy with Prof. Erika Barthelmess of biology, which is his major.  He says, “Every part of the class was exciting and it and made me decide to change my career path to wildlife biology.” Barthelmess is now Chris’s academic and fellowship advisor.

The outdoors is what originally attracted Chris to St. Lawrence. Having grown up in the Adirondacks, he wanted to stay close so that he could enjoy the many activities that the North Country has to offer. During the past year, he has mainly focused on research, which has combined his love of the outdoors with his school work.

His post-graduation plans are not set, but he thinks they will most likely involve the environment and animals. Chris says, “I like to tell people I will be doing something in the wildlife biology field.”