{"id":28724,"date":"2024-05-01T14:58:17","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T18:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=28724"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:27:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T19:27:18","slug":"extension-specialist-brian-macgowan-receives-hoosier-wildlife-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/extension-specialist-brian-macgowan-receives-hoosier-wildlife-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Extension Specialist Brian MacGowan Receives Hoosier Wildlife Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian MacGowan<\/a>, Purdue extension wildlife specialist, has been honored with\u00a0the Hoosier Wildlife Award<\/a>\u00a0by the\u00a0Indiana chapter of The Wildlife Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Hoosier Wildlife Award is given annually to recognize an individual who has made, or is making, a significant contribution to professional wildlife conservation in Indiana through research, management, law enforcement, education or administration.<\/p>\n

“The Hoosier Wildlife Award recognizes Brian’s substantial work in the field of wildlife conservation and his dedication to the Indiana Chapter of The Wildlife Society,\u201d said Zachary Voyles, South Region Private Lands Supervisor for the Division of Fish and Wildlife. \u201cHis contributions to wildlife research, management and higher education have helped numerous wildlife management professionals become better equipped to manage wildlife in Indiana on behalf of its citizens.”<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/a>MacGowan came to Purdue in 1995 to begin work on his master\u2019s degree in wildlife science under Dr.\u00a0Harmon \u201cMickey\u201d Weeks. His thesis was titled \u201cAvian responses to woodland habitats differentially impacted by deer browsing.\u201d<\/p>\n

After completing his master\u2019s in 1998, he joined the Purdue Extension staff as a wildlife specialist in 1999. He acted as extension co-coordinator for Purdue FNR from 2007 to 2015 and has served as the sole coordinator since 2015. MacGowan went on to complete his PhD on \u201cFacilitating management and decision-making on private and public forests in Indiana\u201d under Dr. Linda Prokopy in the spring of 2021.<\/p>\n

In his time in FNR, he has been honored with the Outstanding Professional Staff Award twice (2005, 2010). He received the\u00a0Purdue Cooperative Extension Specialists\u2019 Association (PUCESA) Leadership Award<\/a>\u00a0in 2021 for his leadership and contribution to the development of FNR 506 course \u201cTheory and Application of Natural Resources Extension Programming\u201d and the creation of the Natural Resources Extension program.<\/p>\n

During his career, MacGowan has conducted meaningful research, teaching, and extension programming that has advanced wildlife conservation in Indiana, the Midwest, and more broadly. His contributions include:<\/p>\n