After over 30 years at ABR, Bob Burgess has decided it’s finally time to take a vacation. He has announced his retirement. Since joining ABR in 1984, Bob has expanded the scientific community’s understanding of the behavioral ecology of terrestrial vertebrates in the Arctic, while becoming a steadfast leader at ABR, whose contributions to the growth and success of our company cannot be overstated. After earning his B.S. in Biology from Lewis and Clark College in 1976 and his M.S. in Wildlife Management from UAF in 1984, Bob joined the company then known as Alaska Biological Research.
Never able to limit his interests to a single Kingdom, Bob has been directly involved in behavioral studies of arctic foxes, lemmings and voles, arctic shorebirds and passerines, waterfowl, and caribou, as well as studies of plant distribution, vegetation patterns, and habitat across the North Slope and the rest of Alaska. Some of his most exceptional work involved a comprehensive evaluation of the productivity, distribution, and behavioral energetics of Snow Geese on the North Slope, as well as his leadership of the multi-year Chena River aquatics program in the late 1990s and early 2000s—part of a larger EPA effort to clean up the lower Chena.
Bob has worn a number of hats at ABR over the years, contributing as a research coordinator, a respectful arbiter of interpersonal issues, an excellent wrangler of large and unruly field crews, and an incredible technical editor—guiding everything from proposals to reports and peer reviewed publications. He is also well-versed in the art of preparing NEPA documents and has been a NEPA mentor to many. We could always count on Bob to be direct, yet extremely tactful in giving advice.
Bob has been an indispensable role model at ABR, in matters of both science and business alike. His in-depth knowledge of Alaskan ecology, his exceptional ability to lead, and his stalwart desire to serve will continue to ensure ABR’s successful fulfillment of our triple-bottom-line business ethic for decades to come. We look forward to his continued mentorship and guidance. Thank you Bob, for all your years of inspired service and passion for research.
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