Dr. Jon Hooper has been an environmental educator for more than 40 years. His professional "mission" is to help people better understand how ecological systems truly function (i.e., replacing fallacies with facts) so they can make ecologically-sound decisions on environmental issues.
Jon is a professor emeritus from California State University, Chico where he served as the coordinator of the Parks and Natural Resources Management Option within the Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management.
Jon holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis, a M.S. in Natural Resources Administration/Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from U.C. Davis. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist (The Wildlife Society) and a Certified Interpretive Trainer and “NAI Fellow” (National Association for Interpretation). He has more than 60 environmental communication-related publications and articles to his credit.
Jon was the first-ever Project WILD National Facilitator of the Year in 2006. He is also a certified Project Learning Tree and Project WET facilitator. In addition, Jon was given the "Raymond F. Dasmann Award" for Wildlife Professional of the Year in 2002 by the Western Section of The Wildlife Society and a Distinguished Service Award in 2015 from The Wildlife Society.
Jon has built interpretive displays for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, designed a self-guided trail for the Mendocino National Forest, and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Lassen Association at Lassen Volcanic National Park for more than 30 years. He has worked in the field as a "fish squeezer" (he trapped and transplanted fish for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in -47 degree weather) and as a Staff Research Associate for Wildlife and Sea Grant Extension at the University of California, Davis. Jon also worked as a Research Associate for the military’s “Legacy Program” while doing national animal welfare/rights research.
Personally, Jon is dedicated to his 2 boys, snow skiing, sailing, gardening, playing his keyboard and piano, and computers (yep...he actually likes the darn things...at least when they work!).