Rich currently works as a wildlife biologist at Fort Carson’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado.  During his nearly 30 yrs of federal service, he may be one of the few people that can say he has worked for all 4 primary branches of the Armed Services.  Rich started his federal career in 1996 at Avon Park Air Force Bombing & Gunnery Range in south central Florida as a grazing manager and rangeland management specialist.  From there he moved on to the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton (CA) as the Land Management Branch Head where he managed the grazing leases, invasive plant program, some endangered species and served as a resource advisor to the fire department.  After a short stop with the US Forest Service at the Comanche National Grassland in southeast Colorado, he became the Natural Resource Manager for naval facilities in Texas and Louisiana where he managed a hunting ranch for the Navy along the Mexican border, served as the Rx burn coordinator, endangered species manager, and BASH advisor.  Rich is now the senior wildlife biologist at Fort Carson’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site where he manages a very large hunting program on the 236,000 ac property, conducts wildlife surveys (herps are his favorite), does public outreach and mentoring and occasionally participates in Rx burns and wildland fires.

Rich has been a member of NMFWA since the early 2000’s, is a member of several NMFWA groups and served as the Outdoor Recreation Working Group Chair and as well as an At-Large Board Member.  Rich earned BS degrees from North Carolina State University and an MS in Rangeland Ecology from Texas A&M.  He also enjoys hunting, golfing, hiking, travelling and spending time with his teenage kids.