But in these days of unparalleled change and challenge, there is hope for the world's wild creatures, said Joel Berger, a renowned wildlife biologist who is settling into a new academic role at the University of Montana.
That hope, he said, is the expanding common ground between conservation science and the general public.
“I think there is a desire in Montana and moreso throughout the West to become more bio-literate,” he said, “to understand climate change, to understand how ecosystems function and to maintain and restore what we have.”
Granted, some days are more optimistic than others, but from his unique perspective honed from his on-the-ground international research, it's not just wishful thinking.
“We have a lot to look forward to,” Berger said. “Thirty years ago, I would never have imagined the ranges of the grizzly bear would have expanded, that wolves would come back or that condors would fly the sky and black-footed ferrets would be much more widespread.”
Or that he would play an instrumental role in bringing together a diverse group of landowners, government officials and everyday people across the political spectrum to protect a 75-mile migratory stretch for Wyoming's pronghorn in a busy industrial corridor.
Much work lies ahead, said Berger who is the University of Montana's first John J. Craighead endowed professor in wildlife biology, but Montana is the ideal place to dig in and push conservation issues forward.
“The University of Montana program in wildlife biology leads at multiple levels,” Berger said. “We have outstanding researchers here and we have wonderful imprints of work across the country and at least three continents beyond North America - in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“The lessons we learn here can be applied elsewhere.”
Filling the prestigious position of the John J. Craighead endowed chair and carrying on the conservation spirit of the famed wildlife biologist is a privilege and a weighty responsibility, Berger said.
To say the former UM professor's legacy is profound is an understatement.
At UM, Craighead led the Montana Wildlife Research Unit. With his twin brother, Frank, he pioneered the use of radio collars to study wildlife, conducted groundbreaking research on grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park, and starred in National Geographic television specials that took their science into the living rooms of millions of ordinary Americans.
Among his long list of accomplishments, Craighead authored numerous books and inspired passage of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
“His are big footsteps to follow in,” Berger said. “It is an honor because John J. Craighead set a standard some four decades ago on how field studies are done, why science is so critical for understanding and protecting our ecosystems, and brought national attention to carnivore conservation and to Montana.
“To follow in the footsteps of the Craighead legacy is simultaneously humbling and rewarding because of the de facto recognition that such work continues to be important, both for animals and humans.”
Berger is not without his own impressive resume, albeit, one still in the making.
He comes to UM after a long career at the University of Nevada in Reno and, more recently, a seven-year stint at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, where he was senior scientist for North American programs.
He is author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and five books, including the upcoming “The Better to Eat You With: Fear in the Animal World,” published by the University of Chicago Press.
Currently, he is in full stride on two research projects. One is focused on Central Asia's antelope-like creature called the saiga, the other on North America's highly unusual musk oxen.
For UM, Berger's arrival represents an exciting evolution of the wildlife biology program.
“Joel really epitomizes using excellent basic biology to produce interesting insights into conservation management,” said Charlie Janson, associate dean of biological sciences. “His work is very good, he is internationally respected, and the fact that he is here will make a difference for attracting future high-caliber faculty and students.
“We have gained a wonderful colleague, somebody who is incredibly productive, who is well-connected, and someone who you want to exchange ideas with, who is intellectually active and who is not afraid to think outside the box.”
As professor of an endowed chair, Berger's salary is paid out of a $3 million private fund raised for the specific purpose of creating the position.
“It can provide more salary than salaries that are funded by the state and it enables us to get the best and the brightest,” said Dan Pletscher, director of UM's wildlife biology program and the person who first envisioned creation of the Craighead chair.
Pletscher said he is confident Berger will carry on Craighead's tradition and provide leadership in the realm of conservation science for the state, the region and the country.
“Joel has an amazing record in terms of publications, and he's been involved with some of the biggest conservation issues having to do with mammal and ecosystems anywhere,” Pletscher said.
Berger's knack for drawing people in and articulating complex issues will be instrumental as conversations surrounding global climate change heat up and the fate of wildlife species is on the line.
“I think everybody has a very basic understanding of conservation, but how to get there isn't always understood,” Pletscher said. “It's a complicated field.
“Here in Montana, as development continues and energy exploration continues and our population grows, we put more and more pressure on wild areas; our challenge is trying to find ways where humans and wild things can co-exist,” he said. “Our goal at UM, and with the Craighead endowed chair, is to provide science in the decisionmaking process.”
As is the case with most endowed chairs, Berger will have a lower teaching load than his colleagues and more freedom to do research and incorporate graduate students into those projects.
Although Berger accepted the new UM position last November and moved into his UM office last spring, most of his energies were devoted to his saiga and musk oxen research, which took him around the world.
This fall, he teaches his first class of UM students and he's eager to get conservation conversations started.
His priorities, he said, are “to motivate and inspire, to have creative dialogue and not shy away from debate.”
“This semester we will be exploring the question, ‘Do large carnivores affect ecosystems' function, and does it matter?' ” Berger said.
“And, if it turns out the science suggests they do matter, we'll talk about who cares. Should only scientists care? Should hunters care? Should land managers care?”
Berger said he hopes to learn as much as his students do, and he hopes to inspire the next generation of budding conservationists to look beyond the immediate horizon.
Conservation means many things to many people, and he's come to appreciate the quiet fact that scientists working together can promote understanding and change that reaches across political boundaries and language barriers.
It's a lesson he'd like to impart to his class.
“Most of the conservation that we achieve internationally starts at the ground level, just as it might in a classroom filled with students anxious to learn,” Berger said. “By this I mean, take for example a UM professor working in Tajikistan. He or she would have to obtain government permits to execute a project, whether research per se or education.
“Inevitably or purposefully, locals in the community become involved, and once that happens, it's easier for people to get behind a common mission,” he said. “I see people making a difference and more often than not it arises at lower levels and then it influences conservation policy.
“Other than that, I'd like to continue to be an optimist and continue to tout the importance of our natural world.”
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