The ornithologist taking Scott Somershoe’s position with TWRA has been
hired!!!! His name is David Hanni and he was selected from an original pool of
94 applicants. I served as the TOS representative during the interview process
and while there were several excellent candidates, David’s qualification were
the most outstanding. He has held the position of Science Director at the Rocky
Mountain Bird Observatory for the past 15 years. Among his many achievements is
helping design and coordinate one of the largest breeding bird population
monitoring programs in the nation. This program provides land managers with
scientifically defensible population information to inform management decisions
concerning birds and their habitats.
David is eager to delve into the world of Southeastern birds as his work has
primarily focused on the Rocky Mountains and the grasslands of the west. He
will be calling on TOS members to share their knowledge and to learn about the
bird conservation priorities that we see for the state. A bonus is that he’s
already getting tutored by Scott Somershoe who’s new position with the FWS is
in Colorado!
I believe David will be able to pick up where Scott left off and bring bird
conservation in Tennessee to an even higher level.
Melinda Welton
TOS Conservation Policy Committee Co-chair
