Loren M. Smith

Dr. Loren M. Smith is regarded by his peers as the top authority on playa wetlands and one of the world’s leading scholars on wetland ecosystem science. In 25 years of research, he has published more than 170 scholarly articles, functioned as the major advisor to 35 graduate students, achieved over $5 million in extramural funding, served on numerous editorial boards of scientific journals, and in just the past five years, Dr. Smith has been the principle investigator on 20 federal, state, and privately funded research projects. He has written several acclaimed books, including, Habitat Management for Migrating and Wintering Waterfowl in North America, which is the reference standard for researchers and conservationists, and Playas of the Great Plains, named Outstanding Book of the Year in 2004 by the Wildlife Society. In 2010, the Society of Wetland Scientists inducted Dr. Smith as a fellow, the organization’s highest honor. Beyond his professional accomplishments, his peers credit him with stepping beyond the common boundaries for scientists by engaging conservation professionals to see the big picture in how management decisions and conservation practices affect wetlands and the landscape. His expertise on playa wetlands is especially consequential because they often lack regulatory protection.