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Meet the Fisheries and Wildlife Faculty

Charles Nilon

Charles Nilon, Ph.D.

Professor
Fisheries and Wildlife

Education

  • Ph.D., 1986, SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Research

  • Urban Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Human Dimensions in Wildlife Management.

Research Summary

  • Nilon's research considers the impact of urbanization on wildlife habitats, populations and communities. Included in this research are projects ranging in location and degree of development from inner city neighborhoods in St. Louis and Baltimore to the more suburban and rapidly urbanizing areas in and around Columbia, Missouri. Since 1997, Nilon has ben a co-principal investigator on the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. The project in Baltimore and a similar one in Phoenix are the first two urban ecosystems included in the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research program. His work with the BES focuses on understanding how physical, ecological and socioeconomic factors influence the abundance and composition of vertebrate species. Because urban areas are homes for people as well as wildlife, Nilon's research also considers the role of nature as part of an individual's day-to-day environment, and environmental justice issues associated with access to nature. Nilon and his students have worked on projects in Kansas City and St. Louis that seek to understand how people perceive open spaces in their neighborhood. Recently he has collaborated with colleagues from the MU School of Medicine on a project studying the kinds of open spaces where children are active.

Selected Publications