Clint Boal, a professor in Texas Tech’s Department of Natural Resources Management and unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Texas Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Ornithological Council, a Washington-based consortium that represents nine scientific ornithological societies. Boal joins the board as a representative of the Raptor Research Foundation.
“It was a real honor to be nominated and selected for this,” Boal said. “I look forward to working with the Ornithological Council to advance the best science for decision making, and the best practices for research animals’ welfare.”
The council, founded to ensure that the best available ornithological science informs public policy, research oversight and wildlife management, is recognized as the organized voice of the North American ornithological community. Its mission includes advising federal agencies, shaping policies governing ornithological research and advocating for science-based decision making on issues affecting bird populations.
Program officials note that the council’s work is rooted in scientific understanding of how policy decisions influence wild birds and their habitats, and in its commitment to the humane treatment of birds used in research. Among its most influential contributions is the widely adopted Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research, a standard reference for institutional animal care and use committees across the United States.
Boal, an internationally recognized expert on birds of prey, joined the Texas Tech faculty in 2000. His research focuses on addressing contemporary information needs for state and federal wildlife agencies, with particular emphasis on the ecology and conservation of raptors and the roles predatory birds play in ecological communities.
Over his career, Boal has authored or co-authored more than 130 peer-reviewed papers and delivered more than 250 professional presentations on avian ecology, conservation and management. He has edited two books and chaired two international symposia. His professional service includes past leadership of the Raptor Research Foundation, for which he also serves as bylaws committee chair, as well as membership on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Wildlife Diversity Advisory Committee.
Boal earned his doctorate from the University of Arizona. His honors include the USGS Cooperative Research Units Safety Excellence Award (2025), The Wildlife Society’s W.L. McAtee & G.V. Burger Award for Outstanding Service (2020), the Raptor Research Foundation’s Fran & Frederick Hamerstrom Award (2019), and election as an Elective Member of the American Ornithological Society (2019).
CONTACT: Richard Stevens, Chair & Caeser Kleberg Endowed Professor of Wildlife Conservatio, Department of Natural Resources Management, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-6843 or richard.stevens@ttu.edu
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