Wildlife Biologist/Aircraft Pilot Program

For over 60 years, a small group of Wildlife Biologist/Pilots have operated within the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.   Conducting aerial surveys, natural resource law enforcement activities, wildlife relocation projects, and responding to natural disasters these men and women have served as the “Eyes and Ears” of the Fish & Wildlife Service throughout North and Central America.  Along the way, the aircraft, the technology, and the required skill sets have had to evolve as the suite of missions has expanded.

Jim Wortham is one of these biologist/pilots. He is part of the US Fish and WIldlife Migratory Bird Program and his office is at the headquarters of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges. He will give a presentation on October 28, at the Cedar Keys Audubon Chapter Meet and Greet at the Cedar Key Public Library a 5pm. His talk will describe how he and his crew use airplanes, helicopters, and ground crews to estimate the size of waterfowl populations and evaluate habitat conditions over 2 million square miles encompassing the breeding areas of multiple species in North America.