My work has taken me across the globe, from interviewing Maasai pastoralists about human-wildlife conflict in east Africa to modeling waterbird habitat in a threatened Chinese wetland to mapping native reptile populations in New Zealand.

Alaska’s been my home for years now. I love getting to explore and connect with the same vast landscapes I study, whether I’m hiking, splitboarding, packrafting, bike-packing, surfing, or rock climbing. Through multi-week wilderness trips and professional work alike, my overarching passion is to better understand and to ultimately conserve Alaska’s irreplaceable wild places.

Some highlights so far

Peer-reviewed publications

• Sullender, B. K., C. X. Cunningham, J. D. Lundquist, and L. R. Prugh. 2023. Defining the danger zone: critical snow properties for predator-prey interactions. Oikos 2023: e09925: https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.09925 [pdf]

• Kapsar, K., B. K. Sullender, J. Liu, and A. Poe. 2022. North Pacific and Arctic marine traffic dataset (2015-2020). Data in Brief 44: 108531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2022.108531 [pdf]

• Cunningham, C.X., T.A. Nuñez, Y. Hentati, B. K. Sullender, C. Breen, T.R. Ganz, S.E. Kreling, K. Shively, E. Reese, J. Miles, and L.R. Prugh. 2022. Permanent daylight saving time would reduce deer-vehicle collisions. Current Biology 32(22): 4982-4988e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.10.007 [pdf]

• Fullman, T. J., B. K. Sullender, M. Cameron, and K. Joly. 2021. Simulation modeling accounts for uncertainty while quantifying ecological effects of development alternatives. Ecosphere 12: e03530. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3530 [pdf]

• Sullender, B. K., K. Kapsar, A. Poe, and M. Robards. Spatial management measures alter vessel behavior in the Aleutian Archipelago. 2021. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:579905. doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.579905 [pdf]

• Sullender, B. K., J. Barzen, and J. Silbernagel. 2020. Effects of seasonal hydrological connectivity on Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) foraging ecology. SIS Conservation 2: 01-11. [pdf]

• Huntington, H. P., S. Bobbe, A. Hartsig, E. J. Knight, A. Knizhnikov, A. Moiseev, O. Romanenko, M. A. Smith, and B. K. Sullender. 2019. The role of areas to be avoided in the governance of shipping in the greater Bering Strait region. Marine Policy 110:103564. doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103564 [pdf]

• Smith, M. A., B. K. Sullender, W. C. Koeppen, K. J. Kuletz, H. M. Renner, and A. J. Poe. 2019. An assessment of climate change vulnerability for Important Bird Areas in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc. PLoS One 14(4): e0214573. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214573 [pdf]

• Hartsig, A., B. K. Sullender, and S. Bobbe. 2019. Managing vessel traffic in the Bering Strait region: collaborating on a precautionary approach. Arctic Herald 2(27): 18-29 (in Russian and English). http://arctic-herald.ru/?p=707 [pdf]

  Sullender, B. K., J. Barzen, and J. Silbernagel. 2016. Foraging success and habitat selection of the Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) at Poyang Lake, China. Waterbirds 39:356-364. doi.org/10.1675/063.039.0405 [pdf]

Media, interviews, press coverage, and non-scientific writing

• Crude Conversations. 2019. Episode 036 with Ben Sullender. [link] [embedded on the right]

• Anchorage Daily News. 2018. ConocoPhillips’ Willow prospect advances with review effort by federal government. [link]

• Alaska Public Media. 2018. Interior official: ‘millions’ more acres in NPR-A to open for oil development. [link]

• Peninsula Clarion. 2017. Mountains to Sea Partnership looks to conserve river corridors. [link]

• Edge Effects. 2016. Building an Arctic Atlas. [link]

• Souvenirs Magazine. 2015. Disrepair and the draw of Gunung Rinjani. [link]

• MongaBay. 2014. Hunting is a greater threat than logging for most wildlife in Borneo. [link]

Conferences and memberships

I love talking with biologists, ecologists, conservationists, and spatially minded folks. I’ve presented and co-authored presentations at:

• The Society for Conservation Biology (North American Congress and International Congress)

• International Association for Landscape Ecology (North American Congress and World Congress)

• Ecological Society of America

• American Ornithology Conference

• Alaska Bird Conference

• Arctic Biodiversity Congress

• The Wildlife Society Conference

• Society for Conservation GIS International Conference