LarsonCourtesy of UMass News and Media Relations

Larson Elected Chairman of State Fisheries and Wildlife Board

Joseph S. Larson of Pelham, professor emeritus of environmental conservation, has been elected chairman of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board. He succeeds George Dary of Lenox who served on the board for 38 years, 32 as chairman.

The Fisheries and Wildlife Board consists of seven people appointed for 5-year terms by the governor. The board has the supervision and control of the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (also known as MassWildlife), including personnel appointments and regulatory responsibility for more than 400 species of animals and plants in the Commonwealth.

Following his retirement from UMass Amherst, Larson was appointed to the board in 2000 as the member with special responsibility for endangered species. In this position, he also holds a concurrent appointment to the state’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Scientific Advisory Committee.

He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Wildlife Management at UMass Amherst and his Ph.D. in Zoology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Prior to his return to UMass he worked for private and state conservation agencies in Massachusetts and Maryland, the University of Maryland’s Natural Resources Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.