Richard Dolbeer
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ornithologist
Richard Dolbeer | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 18, 1945 |
| Education | PhD |
| Alma mater | University of the South University of Tennessee Colorado State University |
| Occupations | biologist ornithologist |
| Awards | Caesar Kleberg Award for Excellence in Applied Wildlife Research from The Wildlife Society Jack H. Berryman Institute Research Award |
Richard Dolbeer is an American biologist. Dolbeer served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an expert on human-wildlife conflicts, especially wildlife and aircraft. He is now a consultant in this area.
Richard Dolbeer was born on August 18, 1945, in Jackson, Tennessee. In 1967 he received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of the South and then received his master's degree in Zoology from the University of Tennessee in 1969.[1] He earned his PhD in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University.[2]
Research and administrative career
Richard Dolbeer is a biologist and ornithologist,[3] who has researched population dynamics of pest species, economic assessment of losses, development of practical management techniques for resolving human–wildlife conflicts, and integrated pest management programs.[2] He is also an expert commentator in the media on the dangers of birds in aviation.[4] Following his early ornithological research, according to Wired magazine, "After listening to the airport executives’ bird-related angst, Dolbeer decided the time had come for him to shift professional gears: He would henceforth devote himself to preventing midair collisions between birds and planes."[5]
From 1972 to 2008 Dolbeer worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Research Center[3] in Sandusky, Ohio.[6] He co-authored the very first course of action for wildlife management at airports with Edward Cleary, entitled Wildlife Hazard Management at Airports: A Manual for Airport Personnel, which is used at airports through North America, Europe, Africa, and South America.[7] He also helped to found the Aviation-Wildlife Research Project of the Department of Agriculture during the 1980s[2] and led it until 2002.[7] Between 1997 and 2008 he chaired the Bird Strike Committee-USA,[8] a committee coordinating industry and government efforts to reduce collisions between aircraft and birds.[9] While at the Department, he was also the National Coordinator for the Airport Wildlife Hazards Program from 2002 to 2008.[8] In all his committees, Dolbeer worked with both domestic and foreign government officials to create international techniques for the prevention of bird strikes and the promotion of safety for birds and aircraft.[7]
Over his time at the Department of Agriculture, he authored about 170 scientific papers and was an associate editor for the Journal of Wildlife Management.[2] As of 2025, he had over 230 scientific publications.[10] He is also an elected member of the American Ornithological Society. In terms of recognition, he is a two-time winner of the Jack H. Berryman Institute Research Award, three-time awardee of the USDA Honor Award, and was given both the Lifetime Achievement Award from Bird Strike Committee U.S.A. and the FAA Excellence in Aviation Research award. He was then the inaugural winner of the Caesar Kleberg Award for Excellence in Applied Wildlife Research from The Wildlife Society in 2008.[2]