Richard D. Crawford
Professor of Biology and Interim Director,
Institute for Ecological Studies B.S.Ed., 1968, M.A., 1969, Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State Univ.);
Ph.D., 1975, Iowa State University
Restoration Ecology (wetlands and prairies),
Conservation Biology, Waterfowl Biology,
Ecology of Wetland and Prairie Birds,
Wildlife Management
President, North Dakota Chapter, The Wildlife;
Society,1981-82.
Associate Editor, Journal of Wildlife Management, 1980-82.
B.C. Gamble Award for Outstanding Teaching and Service, 1983.
North Dakota professional award, N.D. Chapter, The Wildlife Society, 1992.
Thomas J. Clifford Award for Outstanding Research, 1997
Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Biology, 1997
Because of its strategic location in the Northern
Great Plains, North Dakota offers an exciting
opportunity to study a variety of wildlife species
and their associated habitats. Vast reaches
of native prairie, numerous wetlands, boreal
forest, badlands, and disturbed habitats are
easily accessible.
My research program in the past has dealt mainly with ecology and restoration
of wetlands and prairies and their associated avifauna. I have conducted
studies on age-related breeding patterns in blackbirds and American coots, polygyny
in sedge wrens, reproductive biology of adelie penguins, asynchronous hatching
in rails, and wetland creation and restoration techniques. Recently, research
projects on the ecology of native prairie and prairie passerines have been undertaken
as well.
Graduate students have worked with me on a wide variety of research projects. They
have addressed questions on (1) use by birds of various natural and disturbed
habitats, and (2) reproductive biology, including breeding and postbreeding behavior,
resting patterns, brood parasitism, parental investment, and bioenergetics. Species
which have been studied by my students include mallards, lesser scaup, canvasbacks,
redheads, three species of grebes, northern shovelers, blue-winged teal, American
bitterns, ruffed grouse, gray partridge, and clay-colored sparrows. This work
provides basic ecological information and is also of practical importance to
the wildlife management of these habitats and species.
Our research has encompassed a large geographic area, including Manitoba,
Nebraska, Louisiana, New Zealand, and Antarctica, in addition to a large number
of studies in North Dakota and Minnesota. This work has been supported by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Highway Administration, U. S. Bureau
of Reclamation, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources, North Dakota Highway Department, Delta Waterfowl and
Wetland Research Station, the University of North Dakota, and several other
agencies.
Currently, I teach courses in Wildlife Management, Ornithology, Wetland and Prairie Ecology, and directed studies in waterfowl ecology, land use planning, and soil and water conservation. |
