Applied Ecology
for Fish, Wildlife,
& Natural Resources
Analysis, consultation, training, and peer review —
for agencies, NGOs, and industry.
What We Do
Sound Science is an applied ecology practice serving the people who steward wildlife, fisheries, and natural resources—from federal, state, and tribal agencies to conservation NGOs, foundations, and industry partners.
We work where ecological inference informs real-world outcomes:
- Designing studies that answer the right questions
- Turning complex data into defensible decisions
- Building team capacity through training
- Providing expert support when findings are scrutinized
The σ² mark stands for quantified uncertainty—the throughline across everything we do.
Our Services
Four practice areas, one standard of rigor.
Statistical Analysis & Modeling
We apply advanced quantitative methods—including hierarchical models, occupancy and abundance estimation, and integrated population models—to help clients make confident decisions that account for uncertainty.
Study Design & Power Analysis
Whether launching a new program or improving an existing one, we develop monitoring studies and field designs that can actually detect the changes that matter, with sample sizes and methods justified by the question.
Training & Workshops
We provide practical, hands-on training for agency, tribal, and NGO professionals in quantitative methods, statistical thinking, and decision-focused science—tailored to the challenges your team faces every day.
Expert Review & Litigation Support
We provide objective scientific review, technical critique, and expert testimony for high-stakes regulatory and legal proceedings when the science needs to withstand scrutiny.
Sound Science serves as a lead consultant and a specialized technical partner, assembling project teams with the expertise needed to meet each client's unique scientific and management objectives.
The systems we study are complex. The science behind them should be no less rigorous.
Our Approach
Most of our work supports adaptive management—designing monitoring programs, analyzing ecological data, and strengthening the feedback loop between evidence and decision-making.
Too often, however, uncertainty is treated as an afterthought. It isn't fully quantified, correctly propagated through the analysis, or communicated clearly to those who need to act on the results.
Quantify Uncertainty
We don't eliminate uncertainty—we measure it precisely and make it visible.
Explain Implications
We translate statistical uncertainty into terms decision-makers can use.
Improve Inference
We use uncertainty to strengthen rather than weaken the conclusions we draw.
Every project begins with one question:
What decision needs to be made, and what evidence is required to support it?
What Sets Us Apart
Rigor Over Routine
Methods chosen for the question, not pulled from a template.
Depth Over Breadth
Specialist work on the hard problems—not high-volume production.
Partners, Not Vendors
Project teams assembled around the work at hand, matched to the people doing the deciding.
Who We Serve
We work with organizations whose decisions depend on ecological evidence.
Federal & State Agencies
Supporting management, regulatory, and listing decisions with defensible science.
Tribal Natural Resource Programs
Partnering on monitoring, harvest, and co-management work that reflects tribal priorities.
Conservation NGOs & Foundations
Informing conservation priorities and evaluating investments with quantified confidence.
Industry & Infrastructure
Managing ecological risk for energy, utilities, transportation, mining, and agriculture.
From alpine watersheds to arid valleys—science that holds up under scrutiny.
Our Team
Christopher J.W. McClure, PhD
Owner and Principal Scientist
Dr. McClure is a quantitative ecologist whose work bridges rigorous statistical inference and applied fish, wildlife, and natural resource management. His research and consulting focus on population monitoring, wildlife–habitat relationships, and analytical frameworks that quantify and communicate uncertainty in ways decision-makers can use.
View Full ProfileRobert Unnasch, PhD
Founder and Senior Associate
Dr. Unnasch co-founded Sound Science, LLC and led the firm through its first two and a half decades. Trained in wildlife biology and ecology at Rutgers and Stony Brook, he spent more than 35 years with The Nature Conservancy—ultimately as TNC's national director of monitoring and research and Idaho Director of Science—and is an architect of Conservation Action Planning (CAP), a framework now used by hundreds of organizations worldwide to structure conservation decisions.
Chris Vennum, PhD
Senior Associate
Dr. Vennum is a quantitative ecologist specializing in population- and landscape-level modeling, with a focus on understanding and mitigating human-induced impacts on birds of prey. His research develops demographic and spatial models that translate complex ecological data into actionable conservation strategies.
View Full ProfileJesse Barber, PhD
Senior Associate
Dr. Barber is Professor and Curator at the American Museum of Natural History, where he leads a research program focused on the conservation and management consequences of light and noise pollution for wildlife. His group uses bioacoustics and acoustic monitoring to translate ecological impacts into actionable mitigation strategies across taxa—from bats and moths to owls and songbirds.
View Full ProfileDavid Braun, PhD
Senior Associate
Dr. Braun specializes in the adaptive management of freshwater biodiversity. He spent 16 years as Senior Biohydrologist in The Nature Conservancy's global freshwater program, advocating for the use of conceptual ecological models in conservation planning and management. He now supports nonprofits, federal agencies, and advisory committees on freshwater ecosystem assessment and conservation, largely in the western U.S.
Christine Wisnewski
Project Manager
Christine Wisnewski coordinates project logistics, schedules, and client communications across Sound Science's engagements, keeping deliverables on track and the science team focused on the work. She holds a degree in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins University.
Start a Conversation
Have a study to design, data to analyze, a team to train, or a finding to defend? Let's talk.