The University of Montana’s top-ranked Wildlife Biology Program recently named Heather Johnson the new Boone and Crockett Professor of Wildlife Conservation. The inaugural Boone and Crockett Chair was appointed in 1993, and Johnson will be the sixth researcher to serve in the role. 
 

As a researcher with the UM-based Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and several state wildlife agencies, Johnson’s work has actively informed management and policy decisions for wildlife conservation across the West. 

“I am honored and thrilled to serve in this position and to work on behalf of both the University of Montana and the Boone and Crockett Club,” Johnson said. “In this role, I look forward to building a research program that produces actionable science for big game, delivers meaningful conservation outcomes and helps train the next generation of wildlife professionals.” 

Founded in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt, the Boone and Crockett Club is the oldest conservation organization in the country, playing a critical role in the conservation of the nation’s wildlife and land resources for almost 140 years.

In order to educate the next generation of wildlife leaders and professionals, the club established its University Programs in 1993 to provide science-based knowledge from seasoned wildlife professionals and educators to prepare policy-fluent wildlife biologists for the responsible and wise management of wildlife in the future. A central component of Montana’s Boone and Crockett program is integrating wildlife conservation and land management.

“Our organization created this endowed professor role with the vision of supporting the development of the next generation of conservation professionals,” said Dr. Steven Leath, the executive vice president of administration for the Boone and Crockett Club and chair of the University Programs committee. “Dr. Johnson’s broad experiences in practical wildlife science, and her experience at the University of Montana, will carry on this tradition as we educate and train the students who will develop solutions to the significant challenges in natural resource conservation that we face.” 

Additionally, the Boone and Crockett Wildlife Conservation Education and Research Endowment, created by generous gifts from numerous donors, exists at UM to support the research and graduate education functions of the program. This fund amplifies the impact the professor in this role can make.

Johnson’s research focuses on conservation and management challenges facing large mammals like bears, elk, caribou and bighorn sheep. Her work primarily investigates how climate change and human activities influence wildlife habitat, behavior and population dynamics, and the effectiveness of different management strategies for minimizing these impacts. She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert often consulted by managers, scientists and policymakers across the country. 

“Dr. Johnson has established herself as one of the premier large mammal ecologists working on applied conservation challenges,” said Chad Bishop, the director of UM’s Wildlife Biology Program. “She will be an asset to both our program and the Boone and Crockett Club as we work with partners to strengthen science-informed conservation policy in North America.” 

UM’s Wildlife Biology Program ranks among the top wildlife conservation programs in the country, and its faculty lead the field in scholarship and teaching. The program is an interdisciplinary effort shared by the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, the Division of Biological Sciences and the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. 

“Dr. Johnson’s addition to our team will help ensure we maintain our prestige in wildlife biology,” said Dean Libby Metcalf. “She will strengthen the research we conduct with partners across the state and beyond, bringing actionable science to decision makers.” 
Johnson will begin her appointment in the fall semester. Until then, she will continue her work researching caribou in the Arctic with the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center in Anchorage.