George Hess

Bio

I entered partial retirement in 2023 July 1.  I now work half time, which for me means not working July-December and working full time January-June teaching 3 courses and doing some open space research.  I’m not accepting new graduate students and expect to fully retire effective 2026 July 1. 

Goals

In everything I teach, my goals are to (1) excite students about the prospect of continuous learning and the process of figuring things out for themselves, (2) focus explicitly on personal and professional development skills, including collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and organization, and (3) place students in the types of situations they will encounter after graduation by using engaged, project-based approaches to teaching. more► 

In my teaching-based research efforts, I focus on conserving open spaces in suburbanizing regions as habitat for native plants and animals, for environmental protection, and for low-impact recreation.  These efforts have three major thrusts: (1) improve the breadth and quality of ecologically-based information available to land use planners; (2) develop approaches to incorporating scientific findings about conservation into local planning activities by engaging with community partners; and (3) support the active engagement of students with community partners to address local conservation challenges.

I will serve my community by working collaboratively with organizations interested in involving students in efforts to conserve and protect open spaces in suburbanizing regions. I will serve on university committees that complement my interests and offer the opportunity for me to make a significant contribution.

Certifications

• Federal Aviation Administration Remote Pilot, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Part 107 (2021 July 24; Recurrent training due 2025 July 31)

• Trusted Operator Program (TOP) Level 1 certification, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) (2022 Aug 3; expires 2024 Aug 3)

• NC Department of Transportation Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Commercial & Government Certificates (Since 2021 August; Current: 2023 August 1; Expires 2025 August 1)

• Federal Aviation Administration Recreational Unmanned Aircraft TRUST Certificate (2021 July 23; does not expire)

• Federal Aviation Administration Private Pilot, Single Engine Land, Part 61 (2021 June 23; does not expire; next flight review due 2025 May 31; operating under BasicMed 2021 Oct 8, expires 2025 Oct 7, training due 2025 Oct 7)

Research Interests

Green infrastructure conservation and management, conservation, ecology, natural resources measurements, and engaged teaching & learning.

Regular Courses

NR 300 – Natural Resources Measurements

NR 595 – Remote Pilot Certification Preparation & Basic Piloting Skills

NR 595 – Conserving Urban Biodiversity

Effective Scientific Posters

 

Area(s) of Expertise

Urban Open Space Conservation, Natural Resource Management

Publications

• Variations in reproduction and age structure in the North American river otter in North Carolina, USA , The Journal of Wildlife Management (2023)
• Carolina critters: a collection of camera-trap data from wildlife surveys across North Carolina , ECOLOGY (2021)
• SNAPSHOT USA 2019: a coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States , ECOLOGY (2021)
• LEPTOSPIRA, PARVOVIRUS, AND TOXOPLASMA IN THE NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER (LONTRA CANADENSIS) IN NORTH CAROLINA, USA , JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES (2020)
• Metal contamination of river otters in North Carolina , Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (2020)
• Educational attainment predicts negative perceptions women have of their own climate change knowledge , PLOS ONE (2019)
• Research note: Shout-out survey for quantifying reasons for trail use , JOURNAL OF OUTDOOR RECREATION AND TOURISM-RESEARCH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT (2019)
• Developing an Instrument to Measure Autonomous Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change among Urban Households , FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION (2018)
• Predictors of Bachman's Sparrow Occupancy at its Northern Range Limit , SOUTHEASTERN NATURALIST (2018)
• Reproductive consequences of habitat fragmentation for a declining resident bird of the longleaf pine ecosystem , Ecosphere (2017)

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