Richard Bruce Bury[1] (born November 22, 1942, in Roseburg, Oregon),[citation needed] a pioneer in the study of herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles),[2] is an American conservationist, herpetologist, and natural historian and Scientist Emeritus of the United States Geological Survey.[3] Bury, C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr. and Gary Fellers were the first to suggest widespread amphibian declines were progressing.[4] In 1972, Bury became the first person hired by the United States Department of the Interior under the specific title of Herpetologist.[5] In 2009, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) made Bury the 11th herpetologist awarded the annual Henry S. Fitch Award for Excellence in Herpetology.[6] Bury is a founding governing board member and executive editor of the journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology. For more than 30 years, Bury has studied herpetofauna ecology and conservation, including the effects of invasive species and wildfire on populations. Thanks in part to his efforts, herpetofauna are recognized as important indicators of ecosystem health.[2]

R. Bruce Bury
Born (1942-11-22) November 22, 1942 (age 81)[citation needed]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHumboldt State University
California State University-Sacramento
University of California Berkeley
Scientific career
FieldsBiology
InstitutionsUnited States Geological Survey

References edit

  1. ^ The 2006 Joint Annual Meeting of The Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology and the Washington Chapter of The Wildlife Society (PDF) (Report). March 2006. p. 14.
  2. ^ a b USGS Herp Expert Honored at Annual Symposium. USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center Weekly Highlights for 3-17-2006.
  3. ^ USGS FRESC Staff Profile
  4. ^ Bury RB, CK Dodd JR., GM Fellers. 1980. Conservation of amphibia of the United States: A review. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 34 pgs.
  5. ^ Lovich, J.E.; N.J. Scott Jr.; R.B. Bury; C.K. Dodd Jr.; R.W. McDiarmid (2012). "A history of herpetologists and herpetology in the U.S. Department of the Interior" (PDF). Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 7: 1–45.
  6. ^ "Home Page | American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists".

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