Dr. Wendy Loya is Lead Ecologist in our Alaska Region who focuses primarily on climate change and northern ecosystems. An overarching objective of her work to understand how the cumulative impacts of climate change and industrial development can be quantified to achieve a better understanding of future ecosystem health and potential mitigation solutions.

In addition to bringing scientific information to bear on Alaska’s wildlands, Wendy is a member of The Wilderness Society’s Climate Change Working Group and Diversity Task Force. Wendy earned a B.S. from the University of Denver, an M.S. from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and a Ph.D. from Kansas State University. Before joining The Wilderness Society in 2006, Wendy was an Assistant Professor of Earth System Science and Policy at the University of North Dakota. She has also worked for the National Park Service and with the National Forest Service.

Recent Publications

• Loya, W.M. , K.S. Pregitzer, N.J. Karberg, J.S. King, C.P. Giardina. 2003. Reduction of soil carbon formation by tropospheric ozone under elevated carbon dioxide. Nature, 425 (705-707).
• Loya, W.M. and P. Gogan. 2004. News and Views: Carbon conundrum on the tundra. Nature, 431 (406-408).
• Giardina, C., M. Coleman, J. Hancock, J. King, E. Lilleskov, W. Loya, K. Pregitzer, and M. Ryan. 2005. The effects of global change on belowground carbon allocation in forests. Chapter 7 in D. Binkley and O. Menyailo (eds), The impacts of global climate change on plant – soil interactions. NATO Science Series, Kluwer Academic Press.
• Ingerson, A.and W.M. Loya. 2008. Measuring Forest Carbon: Strengths and Weaknesses of Available Tools. The Wilderness Society: Washington, DC. 20 p.
• Springsteen, A., W.M. Loya, W. Chapman, M. Olson, J. Walsh, and S. Rupp,. In preparation. Use of down-scaled climate scenarios to inform land management planning.