Bio

Sky Button is a doctoral student in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University Vancouver. They grew up in North Carolina, Ohio and Connecticut, where they developed a passion for amphibians and reptiles from a young age. Sky graduated with a bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology & conservation from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in fish & wildlife conservation from Virginia Tech. In their free time, Sky enjoys searching for amphibians, reptiles, off-trail waterfalls, caves and slot canyons.

Sky’s research aims to improve the conservation of groundwater seeps (areas where groundwater reaches the surface), and the organisms that inhabit them, as the climate changes. In the Pacific Northwest, headwall and side-slope seeps are home to dozens of environmentally sensitive amphibians and mollusks. Sky’s work will map the distribution of these seeps within the Cascades and Northern Rockies, evaluate patterns of seep biodiversity and use temperature loggers to identify factors impacting the environmental stability of seeps over time. Their long-term research interests include amphibian and reptile conservation, aquatic ecology, species distribution modeling, and improving monitoring protocols for rare, secretive and understudied species.

Learn more about Sky’s research