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Mr. Richard Hoppe                                                           

Mr. Hoppe currently is the Regional Wildlife Biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and has taught classes at UMPI for the past 5 years. As a professional Wildlife Biologist Mr. Hoppe has worked in a myriad of jobs throughout the country in state, federal, and private dealing with wetlands, wildlife enhancement and mitigation, waterfowl research, habitat inventories, threatened and endangered species, wildlife research and management, furbearer research and inventories, herpetology, northern wildlife regimes. Mr. Hoppe offers hands on experience in the field of wildlife conservation and works diligently with the students to become knowledgeable in this challenging field. Presently teaching Principles of Wildlife Management, Bio. 171 which offers students; history of Wildlife Management; basic principals of wildlife management and conservation, understanding how and why they work, introduction to the legal, social, cultural, and political institutions that affect wildlife conservation, and general wildlife management and interactions with habitats and people.

EXPERIENCE

January 2002-Present-Adjuct Professor, Night Class Spring Term, University of Maine at Presque Isle. Responsible for developing and directing new subject (Wildlife Management), and presenting class at the University of Maine. Title of class: Principles of Wildlife Management, Bio 171.

March 1988-Present- Regional Wildlife Biologist, Region G, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Ashland, Maine.  This position administers, plans, coordinates, supervises, and implements a broad range of regional wildlife management programs and is the Departments primary representative on wildlife issues.  Region is larger then the two states of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Brief description follows:

Administration & Coordination: Supervise, coordinate, and administer wildlife management programs; prepare annual and biennial regional budgets; provide biological guidance and technical support to the Department Regulatory Process; develop, update, and execute strategic and operational plans; represent the department at public meetings; maintain equipment necessary for habitat management; assist the Department of Public Information and Education Division.

Habitat Management: Provide technical assistance and implementation of wildlife habitat programs on Private Lands, Bureau of Parks and Lands, and lands owned by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Nuisance Wildlife: Prepare, supervise, coordinate, and administer operational plan for the regional activities relating to nuisance wildlife. Train Department and Non-Department personnel in methods and policy relating to nuisance wildlife control.  Provides technical expertise in methods for resolving nuisance wildlife problems, and transfers information on to those people requesting it. Support Maine Warden Service and Non-Departmental, Animal Damage Control (ADC) cooperators in resolving nuisance wildlife problems, Supervised USDA (APHIS) employees for ADC.  

Environmental Services: Review land use proposals and assess habitats affected to determine the impact of changes in land use on wildlife species and habitat.  Make recommendations to modify, deny, or to mitigate habitat losses.  Provide wildlife habitat information to town governments, consultants, and landowners.

Wildlife research assessment:  Assist the research section of the Department with research survey, and inventory projects. Assist research crews with ongoing research within region.

May 1986-February 1988 - Wildlife technician for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Peru, Indiana.  Actively involved in assisting north region district biologists with work itinerary.  Directed and performed trapping of Canada Geese throughout the north region. Worked diligently on the classified wildlife habitat program involving the cost-share and game bird programs.

Other responsibilities: Speaking to landowners interested in classifying property. Public speaking engagements, representing department in matters concerned with wildlife, assisting district biologist.

June 1981- April 1986 – Wildlife research technician at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina.  Was involved in five different research projects. Three of which involved assessing the environmental impacts of thermal effluents on a cypress-tupelo swamp ecosystem. A brief description of research follows:

Beaver and Otter: Developed research project on the population biology of the beaver.  Over 250 beaver and 50 otter were taken from a non-trapped population during 1982-83 winter trapping period. This study was being conducted in order to assess the temporal changes in the population biology of the beaver from one year to the next. Reproductive data was collected for use in determining reproductive strategies of the southern beaver. Age structure was determined through cementum annuli. Future goals for this study were to determine how harvest affects reproductive rate and age structure, and to compare cranial measurements to actual age.

Responsibilities: In addition to doing necropsy on all specimens, other duties include sectioning and counting ovaries, grinding and aging teeth, determining eye lens dry weight, cranial measurements, experimental design, analysis of data and report writing.

Wood Duck Nest Box Study:  Distribution and abundance of wood ducks were investigated on a cypress-tupelo swamp ecosystem.  Involved in implementation of study plan to determine relationships among egg size, clutch size, duckling size, and survival of young, through an intensive banding and web-tagging program. Also, involved in mitigating possible loss of nesting sites from thermal effluents by erecting additional nest boxes along suitable habitat corridors.  Due to possible loss of habitat, the effects on wood duck broods is being determined by use of radio telemetry in order to maintain high breeding success.

Responsibilities: Field work, data analysis, maintaining equipment, and report writing.

American alligator: Temperature sensitive radio collars and stomach temperature transmitters were placed on alligator.   Behavioral and physiological data were being collected on thermal regulation in this species by monitoring transmitters.

Responsibilities:  Involved in design and implementation of study plan, mapping areas of general use for determining home ranges, building alligator traps, handling alligators, and tracking using radio telemetry.

Winter waterfowl: Six species of waterfowl were collected during 1981-82 field season for; 1) determining seasonal variation in body composition (protein, ash, lipid and water), 2) feeding habitat analysis, and 3) electrophoretic analysis in muscle and liver simples. During the fall and winter 1982-83 a behavioral study was conducted on three species of diving ducks determining time budget.  During 1983-84 field season enclosures were erected in waterfowl feeding areas. Core samples were taken inside and outside enclosures once a month to determine food availability. The 1985 winter field season included trapping and marking of divers in order to determine utilization with respect to newly formed 1405 ha. Cooling reservoir.

Responsibilities: Research design, data collection, analysis of data, and report writing.  Also, used electrophoresis in determining species diversity, aerial surveys of waterfowl along with identification, and behavioral patterns.

Prothonotary Warbler: Breeding biology and energetic of this species was initiated during the spring of 1982. Nesting prothonotary warblers were injected with tritium and oxygen-18 labeled water to determine their total energy expenditure. Work consisted of erecting nest boxes, observation of warblers, collection of fecal pellets, and experimental design.

April 1980- November 1980 – Wildlife Technician for USDI, Bureau of Land Management, Elko, Nevada. Involved in an integral part of a wildlife habitat inventory.

Responsibilities: compiling and mapping habitat features, photo interpretation, helicopter survey of resource unit (4.5 million acres), ground search, identification of flora and fauna, data collection, and analysis. In all riparian areas wildlife habitats had to be mapped. Special emphasis was placed on sage grouse, golden eagles, and mule deer.

October 1977- March 1980 – Graduate research-teaching assistant for Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University. 

Responsibilities: Revised structure of graduate course in quantitative wildlife ecology.  Updated coyote predator-prey models for class. In charge of Laboratory portion of senior level Fish and Wildlife course, tutored students, wrote, exams, held office hours each week.

Thesis Research: Research was on the population dynamics of the Michigan bobcat. Population age structure and reproductive parameters were determined. Directed state run agencies to assist in collection of specimens. A new aging technique was developed and performed. Developed proposed research work plan and obtained grant funding.

May 1978- September 1978  - Wildlife technician for Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Houghton Lake Wildlife Research Station, Michigan.  Worked as crew leader in the field on deer habitat analysis studies determining availability and nutrition of desirable plant species.

Responsibilities: Woodcock radio telemetry to determine time budgets and preferred habitats, black bear home range studies, trapping bear, applying radio collars, and field examination.

Fall 1973-Spring 1977 – As an undergraduate I maintained a steady job to earn money needed for college living expenses.  These jobs included being a teaching assistant for freshman biology, comparative anatomy, and ecology. 

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

National Wildlife Federation, Wildlife Society

American Ornithologist Union, Northeastern Bird

Maine Wildlife Society 

HONORS AND AWARDS

USFW Master License-Personal Bird Bander

BSA-Attained rank of Eagle Scout

Reviewer for NBBA-Journal of Field Ornithology

Past Sec/Tres. Of Maine Chapter of the Wildlife Society

Past President of Maine Chapter of the Wildlife Society

Certified Wildlife Biologist

Monitor for the 2002 NE Fish & Wildlife Conference, Portland, Maine

INTERESTS

Hunting, fishing, camping, jogging, birding, mountain biking, x-country skiing,

PRESENTATIONS

Hoppe, K.M., and R.T. Hoppe.  April 2002. Water protection and goose deterrent through buffer management. NE Fish and Wildlife Conference, Portland, Maine.

Hoppe, R.T., S. Young. April 2002. Nexfor Fraser Inc, and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Cooperative Deer Management Plan, NE Fish and Wildlife Conference, Portland, Maine.

Hoppe, R.T., W.A. Sheehan. May 1998. An overview of the monitoring avian productivity survey. Maine Bird Conference, Lewiston, Maine.

Hoppe, R.T., and T. Scott. October 1991. Poster Session, Wildlife management of beech in Northern Maine., NE Fish and Wildlife Conference, Portland, Maine.

Hoppe, R.T., L.M. Smith, and D.B. Wester. December 1985. Foods of diving ducks wintering inland in South Carolina. 47^th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Hoppe, R.T., February 1984. The Savannah River Plant beaver, preliminary results. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina.

Vangilder, L.D., and R.T. Hoppe. August 1983. Time-activity budgets of wintering lesser scaup, ring-necked ducks, and ruddy ducks. 16^th Summer Seminar on Waterfowl and Wetland Ecology, Delta Waterfowl Research Station, Delta, Manitoba, Canada.

Hoppe, R.T., June 1983. Population biology of the Michigan Bobcat (Lynx rufus). 63^rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogist, Gainesville, Florida.

Vangilder, L.D., R.T. Hoppe, and R.A. Kennamer. April 1982. A biotelemetry study of the American Alligator. 43^rd annual meeting of the Association of southeastern biologists. Richmond, Kentucky.

Hopper, R.T., October 1979. Population dynamics of the Michigan bobcat (lynx rufus) with reference to age structure and reproduction. Proceedings of Endangered Species Scientific Authority and National Wildlife Federation Bobcat Research Conference, Front Royal, Virginia.

PUBLICATIONS

Mayer, J.J., R.T. Hoppe, and R.A. Kennamer. 1986. Bald and golden eagles on the Savannah River Plant, South Carolina. The Oriole. 50(4):53-57.

Hoppe, R.T., L.M. Smith, and D.B. Wester. 1986. Foods of wintering diving ducks in South Carolina. J. Field Ornithology. 57:126-134.

Hoppe, R.T., R.A. Kennamer. 1986. Little blue herons nesting among cattails. Wilson Bull. 98:482-483.

Hepp, G.R., R.T. Hoppe, and R. A. Kennamer. 1986. Population dynamics and philopatry of breeding female wood ducks. J. Wildl. Manage. 51:401-404.

Smith, L.M., L.D. Vangilder, R.T. Hoppe, S.J. Morreale, and I.L. Brisbin, Jr. 1986. Effect of diving ducks (Aythyini) on benthic food resources during winter.  Wildfowl. 37:136-141.

Hoppe, R.T. 1979. Population dynamics of the Michigan bobcat with reference to age structure and reproduction. Bobcat Research conference Proceedings, National Wildlife Federation. Scientific and Technical series 6, Front Royal, Virginia.