BROOKINGS – For the earlier 29 years, Jonathan Jenks, distinguished professor of natural resource administration at South Dakota State College, has devoted his qualified everyday living to exploring wildlife populations and educating youthful people today hoping to enter the wildlife ecology and organic resource management industries.
Jenks’ occupation at SDSU neared its finish this month, with his retirement on Jan. 21.
Rising up in rural Massachusetts, Jenks was uncovered to wildlife at a young age. Upon finishing his superior school instruction, Jenks attended Unity School in Maine wherever he gained an associate degree in environmental science and a bachelor’s diploma in wildlife administration. He then attended the College of Maine the place he attained his master’s degree in wildlife management, and afterwards done his Ph.D. in wildlife and fisheries ecology from Oklahoma Condition College.
Right after finishing his Ph.D. in July 1991, Jenks moved to South Dakota, where by he started off his profession as an assistant professor of wildlife and fisheries sciences at SDSU. Throughout his job, he has labored with quite a few different species of wildlife but has developed to love mastering about bighorn sheep, whitetail deer and mountain lions the most.
“They have been all remarkable species to operate on,” mentioned Jenks. “However, my far more the latest do the job with bighorn sheep conditions and mountain lions in the Black Hills has been genuinely appealing. Considering the fact that my graduate degrees targeted on whitetail deer, it has been excellent to carry on functioning on that species as perfectly.”
Jenks has executed and broadly posted research that addresses wildlife queries utilizing ecological idea to present know-how and management resources for company source biologists. He also has conducted extensive investigate on the ecology of large mammals that inhabit South Dakota and the Northern Fantastic Plains Area exploration driven by the want to optimize prospect for harvesting these species in addition to gathering know-how about mountain lions that have recolonized the Black Hills of South Dakota and Badlands Area of North Dakota.
“One of the most effective factors about becoming at SDSU has been being ready to get the job done in equally eastern and western South Dakota,” said Jenks. “I’ve relished operating with students and wildlife gurus in distinctive regions of the condition and looking at the range in species in the unique regions of South Dakota.”
In excess of the decades, Jenks has collaborated with numerous faculty at SDSU, other universities and state and federal organizations, ensuing in more than $16 million in grant and deal awards.
By way of his investigation, Jenks has mentored 15 Ph.D. and 65 master’s students at SDSU and has served on various Ph.D. and master’s pupil committees. Motivated by his mentorship and advice, quite a few of his previous students now train and carry out analysis at other educational facilities and universities throughout the United States.
“Dr. Jenks has been committed to the success of our division and to our undergraduate wildlife and fisheries method,” explained Michele Dudash, head of the Office of Natural Resource Administration at SDSU. “He was normally ready to instruct new classes to broaden our students’ instructional options and talent sets. His scholarship combined with his graduate student mentoring has produced lots of wildlife administration gurus who occupy positions throughout the country.”
Other previous students of his are used by point out, federal and Indigenous American organizations together with the United Nations, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, United States Geological Survey, National Park Support, United States Forest Service, USDA Animal and Plant Overall health Inspection Provider, Organic Source Conservation Company, Wyoming Match and Fish Division, Oregon Office of Fish and Wildlife, New Mexico Office of Video game and Fish, North Dakota Match and Fish Office, Idaho Office of Fish and Video game, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Minnesota Division of Purely natural Assets, Wisconsin Section of All-natural Assets, Alaska Office of Fish and Recreation, Nebraska Sport and Parks Commission, Penobscot Country Fish and Video game Committee, Decrease Brule Sioux Reservation Department of Wildlife, Fish and Recreation, and South Dakota Section of Video game, Fish and Parks.
“Throughout my time at SDSU in both equally the undergraduate and graduate wildlife and fisheries courses, Dr. Jenks has been an unbelievable advisor, mentor and mate,” reported Kevin Robling, one of Jenks’ previous college students and Interim Division Secretary for South Dakota Video game, Fish and Parks. “He has manufactured a long lasting beneficial impression on my skilled profession and, for that, I sincerely thank him for his determination and support to SDSU and to the wildlife industry experts all through this nation. His contributions to significant recreation study and adaptive management have significantly influenced South Dakota Recreation, Fish and Parks’ management strategies that will be carried onto long run generations of wildlife specialists and the constituency they serve.”
“It has been a satisfaction functioning with all these students for the duration of my years at SDSU,” mentioned Jenks. “It’s very thrilling to see them go on to get jobs in the area – it is component of my position to assist them develop into used and I’m very happy that they’ve been successful.”
To upcoming pupils, Jenks advises they study as substantially as they can about the species and methods so they are perfectly ready to enter the occupation. He also indicates they be part of expert societies, as he did, to interact with other professionals and remain current on what is occurring in the market.
In addition to mentoring graduate college students, Jenks has taught 6 various undergraduate and graduate classes and 23 distinctive subject areas lessons to hundreds of students at SDSU. He also has shared his knowledge and analysis by publishing about 200 peer-reviewed papers and 95 reports and lay content articles, serving as editor, co-editor and chapter contributor for two textbooks, 3 invited e book chapters and one exclusively authored e book, and has specified about 500 presentations at regional, nationwide and intercontinental meetings.
Also, Jenks has supplied leadership to The Wildlife Society (TWS) and American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) at the condition, nationwide and worldwide amounts. He served as president of the South Dakota TWS chapter from 1994-1995 and was a member of the TWS publications committee from 1994-1995 and TWS plan committee from 2003-2020. Moreover, he served as host of the 88th ASM Once-a-year Conference in 2008, chair of the ASM coordination committee from 2005-2020 and was the associate editor for the Journal of Mammalogy from 2009-2011.
Jenks was the first recipient of the SDSU University of Agriculture and Biological Sciences Griffith Faculty Study Award in 2003 and Distinguished Researcher Award in 2008. His other university recognitions and awards include things like the F.O. Butler Basis Excellence in Analysis Award in 2003, remaining named Distinguished Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences in 2006 and the Excellence in Graduate College student Mentoring Award in 2014. Jenks also served as a community and statistics agent and graduate plan coordinator for the former Section of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, the graduate plan coordinator for the Department of Purely natural Source Management and participated as a member of the Animal Treatment and Use and Analysis Scholarship committees at SDSU.
His honors from outside the house universities and companies include becoming named a fellow of The Wildlife Society in 2006, and becoming a recipient of the Skilled Excellence Award from the Department of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Maine in 2009 and the Distinguished Wildlife Alumnus Award from the University of Maine in 2011.
His time expended educating learners and field gurus and conducting crucial and relevant wildlife research have acquired him the new title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Science, helpful as of Jan. 21. On his retirement, Jenks ideas to continue his involvement with The Wildlife Culture, facilitate completion of investigate projects with his remaining graduate college students and dedicate more time to his hobbies of looking, fishing and recreating and touring the region with his wife Gail.
“During my tenure at SDSU, I have been fortuitous to be equipped to add to the making of a powerful and viable wildlife method,” mentioned Jenks. “I will surely miss out on teaching and finding out with college students about wildlife and their environments, hearing from earlier pupils about their current actions, and the interactions and collaborations with several of the college and staff members at South Dakota Condition College, which has been my skilled residence due to the fact my arrival in July 1991.”