Dr. Canterbury teaches Anatomy & Physiology at Sheridan College in Sheridan, Wyoming. Her specialty is avian physiology.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Animal Science, 2007, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska. Program emphasis in physiology, neuroscience.
- M.S. in Animal Science, 2000, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska. Program emphasis in ornithology and conservation biology.
- B.A. in General Studies, 1984, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington.
Program emphasis in general studies.
- B.A. in Health Education, 1976, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Program emphasis in biology and health education.
- Associate degree in Dental Hygiene, 1970, Shoreline Community College, Seattle, Washington.
Research Interests:
My research interests are focused on the social behavior and the acoustic communication systems of songbirds, and on avian physiology, especially testosterone and dawn/night singing in the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens). I am also interested in neuroscience and the neural aspects of song behavior in passerines. Other areas of interest include field biology and ornithology, with emphasis in the ecology and conservation of temperate rainforests and grasslands; in science-based conservation initiatives emphasizing the protection of critical habitats.
Autobiography:
I was born and raised on the coast of Washington state. As a child I frequently traveled with my mother and father. The experiences we shared instilled in me a keen sense of adventure and a love of nature. My father and grandfather were both dentists and outdoor enthusiasts. As a result of these experiences with my family, I developed my scientific career immersing myself in conservation and then building that knowledge to include my fascination with avian and human physiology. I have also continued to travel around the globe; to experience many cultures and to explore many diverse habitats.
In 1983 I traveled to southeast Alaska by ferry along the Inside Passage. I stayed there that summer, then gradually moved to Prince of Wales Island where I lived for five years. Later I moved to Ketchikan, Alaska to become an itinerant Health Educator. In my new job I traveled by float plane to remote sites in bush Southeast Alaska.
This was a magic time in Alaska. Bright and adventurous people from around the country moved to the small Alaska town of Ketchikan. I soon became embroiled in forest issues and joined the board of Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC), which is the major conservation group watching over natural resources in the Tongass National Forest - a 17 million acre temperate rainforest.
It was not long before I became the President of SEACC, and later advocated in Washington D.C. for the passage of the Tongass Timber Reform Act, a bill to protect 1 million acres of Tongass National Forest. The landmark bill passed, and I accepted the award of Conservation Group of the Year for SEACC from the National Wildlife Federation.
In 1990 I began work with the U.S. Forest Service and became the District Wildlife Biologist for Misty Fiords National Monument Wildernes. Many of us within and outside the Forest Service were appalled at the scale of logging of old-growth forests on the Tongass. Jeff Debonis, a Forest Service emloyee, started the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEE) based out of Oregon. He recruited me to be on the board, and I later left the Forest Service to work as FSEE's Alaska Coordinator. In that capacity I organized Forest Service employees, federal and state employees, and scientists to develop an alternative management forest plan for the Tongass National Forest.
After many years of successful conservation work, I decided to return to school. My interests have always drawn me to birds and conservation, and I began to develop a curiosity in the similarities between avian and human physiology. I entered the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed my M.S. and Ph.D. For my M.S. degree I developed a conservation plan for non-game birds for the State of Nebraska. I completed my Ph.D. in Animal Science in 2007 with emphasis in physiology and neuroscience. During that time I taught Anatomy and Physiology at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Sheridan College's programs in Nursing and Dental Hygiene are well respected, and I'm pleased to be sharing my life's work with my students. The open spaces of Wyoming offer me opportunities to continue my avian work. I am currently writing a book on Wyoming birds with Dr. Paul Johnsgard.
Publications
Canterbury, J. L., F. J. Struwe, E. Blankenship, S. E. Scheideler, H. Taira and M. M. Beck. Vocalizations as an indicator of distress in laying hens. In preparation.
Canterbury, J. L., E. Blankenship, H. Taira, S. E. Scheideler and M. M. Beck, Geographical variations in the acoustic properties of song in the Yellow-breasted Chat. In preparation.
Canterbury, J. L., E. Blankenship, H Taira, S. E. Scheideler and M. M. Beck, Temporal variations in the acoustic properties of song in the Yellow-breasted Chat. In preparation.
Canterbury, J. L. 2007. Songs of the Wild: Temporal and Geographical Distinctions in the Acoustic Properties of the Songs of the Yellow-breasted Chat. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska.
Canterbury, J. L. 2000. A strategy for the conservation of non-game birds in the state of Nebraska. M.S. Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Andres, B. A., J. L. Canterbury and P.A. Cotter. 1999. The Black Swift in southeast Alaska. Unpublished typescript report. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
Brooks, C., J. L. Canterbury and R. Dale. 1996. Tongass in Transition: Blueprint for a Sustainable Future. AFSEE-sponsored Alternative Plan for the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska. Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, Eugene, Oregon.
Canterbury, J. L. 1990. The effects of Back Island construction activities on the Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalis. USDA Forest Service, Ketchikan District, Ketchikan, Alaska.
Suring, L. H., J. L. Canterbury, and T. O’Keefe-Black. 1986. Observations of birds in red alder and conifer riparian communities in southeast Alaska. Alaska Region Habitat Hotline 86-4. USDA Forest Service, Ketchikan Alaska.
Suring, L.H., J. L. Canterbury, and T. O’Keefe-Black. 1986. Breeding birds of riparian communities in southeast Alaska. Alaska Region Habitat Hotline 86-4. USDA Forest Service, Ketchikan, Alaska.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Canterbury, J. L. and C. Brooks. 1999. Up the Inside Passage, Bridge to the Past. Pages 15-28 in The Book of the Tongass (C. Servid and D. Snow, Editors). Milkweed Editions, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
RECENT PRESENTATIONS
Canterbury, J. L. 2008. Temporal and geographical distinctions in the acoustic properties of the songs of the Yellow-breasted Chat. Nebraska Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Grand Island, Nebraska.
Canterbury, J. L., F.J. Struwe, E. Blankenship, H. Taira and M. M. Beck. 2008. Vocalizations as an indicator of distress in laying hens. Poultry Science Association, Niagara Falls, Canada.
Canterbury, J. L. 2008. Temporal and geographical distinctions in the acoustic properties of the songs of the Yellow-breasted Chat. National Ornithological Union, Portland, Oregon.
RECENT AWARDS
Biography selected for inclusion in the MARQUIS Who’s Who® in America, 2009 Edition.
