Kristine Hoffmann

Kris is an amphibian and reptile conservation biologist, with research interests in behavior, ecology, and conservation detection dogs. Her work on the Blue-Spotted Salamander complex has aided in the conservation of vernal pool amphibians in Maine, and her work on the movement and habitat use of suburban Wood Frogs more directly investigates the persistence of amphibians in developed areas.

Kris shares her home and office with K9 Newt, a Labrador retriever trained to sniff out endangered toads and turtles. Students in independent studies with Kris and Newt conduct surveys learn about populations and locations of these rare animals with partners such as the Roger Williams Zoo, New York Natural Heritage Program, Massachusetts Audubon Society, and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Other students in her research lab have worked on learning in invasive treefrogs, population genetics of salamanders, radio-telemetry of turtles, scent recognition in geckos, personality syndrome of axolotls, diet of axolotls and turtles, snake habitat selection, effects of light pollution on salamander habitat selection, analysis of citizen science data, and dogs’ abilities to differentiate between frog species. Kris routinely teaches General Biology, Herpetology, Biostatistics, Biology of Dogs for non-science majors. She is always looking for students to be dog handlers, animal care takers, and researchers.

Her favorite outreach achievements are her coloring book and a comic series by a student artist, found at http://www.vernalpools.me

Kris earned her BS in Biology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, her MS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida, and her PhD in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine in Orono. She was a teaching fellow at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Maine.

Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kristine_Hoffmann

In the News

• The Valley Breeze, July 7 2023, North Smithfield resident helps find endangered turtles https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/north-smithfield-resident-helps-find-endangered-turtles/article_451974f0-1a05-11ee-b17b-2f9dd25523fe.html
• K9 Conservationist Pod Cast, April 11 2023, Wood turtles with Kristine Hoffmann and Julia Sirois https://k9conservationists.org/wood-turtles-with-kristine-hoffman-and-julia-sirois/
• Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, April 10 2023, How a dog can help save turtles https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-a-dog-can-help-save-turtles
• Rhode Island Department og Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife Annual Report, 2022 Rhode Island Department og Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife Annual Report, 2022
• St. Lawrence Magazine, Nov 2 2022, Young alumni at work: searching for answers https://www.stlawu.edu/news/young-alumni-work-searching-answers
• St. Lawrence University Face Book, July 27 2022, Newt the turtle-tracking dog https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1052279032093677
• The Dodo, July 22 2022, Professional good boy won’t stop until he’s sniffed out every turtle in need of help https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/professional-good-boy-wont-stop-until-hes-sniffed-out-every-turtle-in-need-of-help
• WeRateDogs, July 6 2022, This is Newt  https://www.instagram.com/p/CfrdL8Pu2hO/?img_index=1
• WPRI,  Jun 22 2022, Meet Newt, the turtle-tracking dog https://www.wpri.com/community/environment/meet-newt-the-turtle-tracking-dog/
• The National Desk, June 17 2022, How a search dog is being trained to help save turtles threated by humans https://thenationaldesk.com/top-videos/how-a-search-dog-is-being-trained-to-help-save-turtles-threatened-by-humans-nature-conservation-endangered-zoo-fox-red-labrador?fbclid=IwAR3fxvhUVokMtvxNQvbvDtLPVu0Tk2sFo28DpM6DmH1Wm7w37-7ltFn7MFw
• People Magazine, Jun 13 2022, Rhode Island zoo working with trained search dog named Newt to help track and save turtles https://people.com/pets/rhode-island-zoo-trains-search-dog-to-find-turtles/
• Eco RI, June 10 2022, DEM’s latest – and cutest – turtle tracker is a dog https://ecori.org/dems-latest-and-cutest-turtle-tracker-is-a-dog/