Aldo Leopold Memorial Award

The Wildlife Society’s 51st Aldo Leopold Memorial Award was bestowed upon Dr. Gary C. White of Laporte, Colorado, on March 27, for nearly 25 years of unique contributions to the wildlife profession. The award was presented by TWS President Nova Silvy during the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference banquet.

The prestigious Aldo Leopold Memorial Award is presented for “distinguished service to wildlife conservation.” It is the highest honor bestowed by The Wildlife Society and is considered the ultimate recognition for a wildlife professional.

Dr. White has brought the sophisticated tools of mathematical modeling, population estimation, and survival analysis to the forefront of wildlife research and management. Furthermore, he has made these tools available to all wildlife biologists by writing computer programs and publications that have enabled researchers and managers to test complex hypotheses about wildlife populations.

His work on ungulate population dynamics has not only provided a showcase example of how to conduct experimental field research, but also provided new insights into some of the most fundamental concepts in wildlife population dynamics, such as density-dependent and compensatory responses.

Dr. White has co-authored some 90 refereed scientific papers, 2 books, and 40 technical papers. He also is the architect of such software programs as CAPTURE, SURVIVE, RELEASE, and MARK. Dr. White received a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University, his Master of Science degree from the University of Maine, and his Ph.D. degree from The Ohio State University. He is a professor of wildlife biology at Colorado State University.