Tom Cooper joined the Migratory Birds team in the Regional Office as a wildlife biologist in a term position beginning August 21, 2006. 

Cooper’s primary responsibility will be to pull together information and workshops and write conservation action plans for King Rail and Henslow’s Sparrow, two of the Migratory Birds focal species for which Region 3 has the lead. 

Tom served for eight years at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge as a wildlife biologist for the Minnesota Waterfowl Association.  He received a Ph.D. from South Dakota State University, where he studied grassland and woodland habitat selection in the prairie/ forest transition zone of Minnesota.

Tom brings with him a breadth of knowledge about Midwestern birds as well as a wealth of experience communicating his passion for birds to private landowners and students in elementary school through college.  He hit the ground flying: a multi-partner workshop on King Rail is scheduled for November 14-15 in Tennessee, and planning for a Henslow’s Sparrow in mid-winter is underway.