Overview

Faculty

Courses

Major

Opportunities &
Activities

Careers & Alumni

Fred G. Van Dyke, Ph.D. Department Chair Professor, Field Biology On faculty since 2001 Phone: (630) 752-5724 Fax: (630) 752-5996 Email: fred.g.vandyke@wheaton.edu Education Ph.D., Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York-Syracuse, 1983 M.S., Wildlife Ecology, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1979 B.S., Wildlife-fishery Resources, University of Idaho, 1976

Professional and Personal Interests

Fred Van Dyke’s research, publications, and professional experience focus on the management and conservation of animal populations, the study of successional processes to manage and preserve biodiversity in plant and animal communities, the effects of environmental disturbance on plant and animal populations, the values and ethics of conservation, and the development of a comprehensive ethic of Judeo-Christian environmental stewardship. In his personal life, Dr. Van Dyke enjoys hiking, camping, and backpacking, especially in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness of Montana. He serves as a Sunday school teacher and small group leader at his local church in Wheaton, Illinois.

Courses Taught

• BIOL 303 Contemporary Issues in Biology
• BIOL 319 Environmental Ethics
• BIOL 482 Conservation Biology
• ENVR 211 Issues in Environmental Science
• ENVR 497 Enviromental and Conservation Research Seminar

Membership in Professional Societies

• The American Society of Mammalogists
• The Society for Conservation Biology
• The Society for Ecological Restoration
• The Wildlife Society

Research

Dr. Van Dyke's current research efforts are focused on the responses of plant and animal communities to fire, the patterns and processes of animal home range use and species range expansion, and understanding environmental ethics in Judeo-Christian context and its implications in environmental and conservation policy.

Papers Published and/or Presented

Selected Publications
Journal Articles

• Van Dyke, F. 2008. Colonization of non-traditional range in dispersing elk, Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni, populations. Canadian Field Naturalist 121 (2):133-141. (read article pdf)
• Van Dyke, F., J. D. Schmeling, S. Starkenburg, S. H. Yoo, and P. W. Stewart. 2007. Responses of plant and bird communities to prescribed burning. Biodiversity and Conservation 16:827-839. (read article pdf)
  
• Van Dyke, F., and J. A. Darragh. 2007. Short- and long-term changes in elk use and forage production following prescribed burning. Biodiversity and Conservation 15:4375-4398. (read article pdf)
• Van Dyke, F., and J. A. Darragh. 2007. Responses of elk to changes in plant production and nutrition following prescribed burning. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:23-29. (read article pdf)
• Van Dyke, F.and J. A. Darragh. 2006. Short-and long-term effects of fire and herbivory on sagebrush communities in south-central Montana. Environmental Management 38:365-376. (read article pdf)
• Van Dyke, F. 2006. Cultural transformation and conservation: growth, influences and challenges for the Judeo-Christian stewardship environmental ethic. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 58:48-63. (read article pdf)
• Van Dyke, F. 2005. Between heaven and earth:evangelical engagement in conservation. Conservation Biology 19:1693-1696. (read article pdf)
• Van Dyke, F. 2005. Teaching ethical analysis in environmental management dicisions: a process-oriented approach. Science and Engineering Ethics 11:559-569. (read article pdf)
• Van Dyke, F., S. E. Van Kley, C. E. Page, and J. G. Van Beek. 2004. Restoration efforts for plant and bird communities in tallgrass prairies using prescribed burning and mowing. Restoration Ecology 12:575-585. (read article pdf)

• Van Dyke, F. 2009. Christian environmental stewardship. In J. Appleton, editor. Attitudes and Values in Sustainable Development Research. Edward Elgar, Northhampton, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
• Van Dyke F., J. D. Schmeling, S. Starkenburg, S. H. Yoo and P. W. Stewart. 2007. Responses of plant and bird communities to prescribed burning in tallgrass prairies. Pages 1-13 In D. L. Hawksworth and A. T. Bull editors. Vertebrate conservation and biodiversity. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation. Volume 5. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. (Visit the book's website at http://www.springer.com/life+sci/zoology/book/978-1-4020-6319-0)

• Van Dyke, F., 1998. Christian activism in public environmental policy: public involvement and professional training in the Christian community. Crossroads Monograph Series in Faith and Public Policy, Volume 1, Number 19.

• Van Dyke, F. 2008. Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications. 2nd Edition. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. (Visit the book's website at http://www.springer.com/life+sci/ecology/book/978-1-4020-6890-4)
• Van Dyke, F., D. C. Mahan, J. K. Sheldon, and R. H. Brand, 1996. Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois. U.S.A.