Education
2006, Graduated cum lade with a B. S. in Wildlife Biology from West Texas A&M University
Completing M. S. in Biology from West Texas A&M University, anticipate May 2010 graduation

Experience
I have a wide range of experiences; all tied together by the general themes of ecology, management, and natural history. The experiences of conducting my own research and of assisting many others in theirs has allowed me to develop a skill set that includes a variety of methods used to study not only insects, but also plants, reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, fishes, mammals, and birds. Though my own interests and experiences are heavily field-research biased, I have also had the opportunity to build certain laboratory skills such as PCR, a familiarity with some of the technological tools used to analyze biological data, and curation skills needed to augment and maintain research collections of plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates.

Presentations
2009- Patterns of richness and diversity of snake communities in Texas:
The influence of sampling methodology
Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
(Rachel Lange, Richard T. Kazmaier, and Matthew D. Broxson)

2009- Assessing a Rolling Plains snake community using two different methods
Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
(Rachel Lange, Richard T. Kazmaier, Michael W. Janis, and Donald C. Ruthven)

2008- Habitat selection by a snake community in the Rolling Plains of Texas
Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
(Rachel Lange, Richard T. Kazmaier, Michael W. Janis, and Donald C. Ruthven)

2008- Snakes of the Matador Wildlife Management Area: Habitat selection and notes
on diet Kansas Herpetological Society Annual Meeting
(Rachel Lange and Richard T. Kazmaier)

2007- Habitat associations of snakes at Matador Wildlife Management Area
Kansas Herpetological Society Annual Meeting
(Rachel Spruance and Richard T. Kazmaier)

2006- Characterizing a snake community in the Rolling Plains of Texas
Kansas Herpetological Society Annual Meeting
(Rachel Spruance and Richard T. Kazmaier)

2004- Small mammals of Palo Duro Canyon State Park: Community Composition and
Habitat Association Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
(Rachel A.Spruance, Daniel P. Walker, Greg T. Lewellen, Raymond S. Matlack, Karah L.Gallagher)

2004- Relationships between topography, vegetation and small mammals in Palo Duro
Canyon American Society of Mammalogists
(Greg T. Lewellen, Raymond S. Matlack, Karah L.Gallagher, Rachel A. Spruance, and Daniel P. Walker)

2004- Ecology of small mammals in the canyonlands of the Texas Panhandle
American Society of Mammalogists
(Raymond S. Matlack, Greg T. Lewellen, Karah L.Gallagher, Daniel P. Walker and Rachel A.Spruance)

2004- Evaluating the influence of topography on juniper-oak woodlands and small mammals
in Palo Duro Canyon using GIS Southwestern Association of Naturalists
(Greg T. Lewellen, Raymond S. Matlack, Karah L.Gallagher, Rachel A. Spruance, and Daniel P. Walker)

2004- Ecology of the Palo Duro mouse and other small mammals in the canyonlands of the
Texas Panhandle Southwestern Association of Naturalists
(Raymond S. Matlack, Greg T. Lewellen, Daniel P. Walker, Rachel A. Spruance, and Karah L.Gallagher)

2004- The influence of topography on juniper woodlands and small mammals in Palo Duro
Canyon: a GIS approach Texas Society of Mammalogists
(Greg T. Lewellen, Raymond S. Matlack, Karah L.Gallagher, Daniel P. Walker, and Rachel A. Spruance)

Publications
Michels Jr.,  G.J., H.L. Lindon, D. Lunsford, T. Perfors, C. Chen, R.A. Lange. 2009. Biological Control of Noxious Weeds on Federal Installations in Colorado and Wyoming

Memberships
Entomological Society of America
Ecological Society of America
Kansas Herpetological Society
The Wildlife Society
Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
West Texas A&M Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Southwestern Association of Naturalists
West Texas A&M University Chapter of Beta Beta Beta

Biography/Research Interests
I grew up in Dallas, Tx and arrived in the Panhandle in 2002 when I began attendance at West Texas A&M University. I began further developing my knowledge and passion for wild organisms within the Wildlife Biology program at the university leading me to research, internships with Texas Parks and Wildlife, graduate school, and finally to Texas AgriLife Research.

My research interests are often more question-driven, as I find all manner of creatures fascinating! The thing that is closest to my heart is conservation, so often my research ideas focus on projects which result in data that are useful for land managers and can result in a benefit to native systems. Community characteristics, such as biological diversity, among different habitats spark my interest, as do questions concerning how organisms choose to utilize resources throughout a heterogeneous environment. Methodological questions are also very intriguing to me, and important questions to answer; how the sampling technique chosen influences the data collected is an important thing to know for all researchers.

The work done here at Texas AgriLife Research involving issues of importance to conservation, such as efforts to combat invasive species like salt cedar, drew me to the program and has offered great opportunity for me as a researcher.