Welcome Tanner Swank, Great Plains Grasslands Biome Manager

In partnership with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, Tanner will boost WLFW’s capacity and improve conservation throughout the Great Plains.

In partnership with Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF), WLFW is thrilled to introduce the Great Plains Grasslands biome manager, Tanner Swank. This position falls under the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) Framework. Within this Framework, Swank will cover working grasslands in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Montana, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota.

In his new role, Swank will serve as a core member of the western WLFW team to elevate the continued success of grassland conservation. He will collaborate with local agencies and partner organizations, work with other team members to develop project priorities, and develop education and outreach events to promote grasslands conservation throughout the Great Plains.

“Tanner has been a standout for the organization for over six years, and will continue to be an incredible asset to our team in the Great Plains,” said Aaron Kuehl, PF & QF’s director of habitat programs. “I can’t wait to see what he can accomplish in his new position.”

Swank has served Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever since 2018 as a Farm Bill biologist, a coordinating wildlife biologist and most recently as a senior coordinating wildlife biologist. He has gained countless experiences while working throughout Oklahoma, including partnering with landowners, creating grasslands management plans, working with partners as well as coordinating and implementing state-wide initiatives to improve grasslands. Swank holds an associate’s degree in biology from Barton Community College and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, natural resource ecology and management with an emphasis in wildlife ecology and management from Oklahoma State University.

“Growing up, cutting trees and conducting prescribed fires was always a passion and it runs deep, continuing to today,” Swank said. “It’s a culture, a way of life, and it’s an honor to represent the organization in the battle to save one of the most endangered biomes in the world from woody encroachment and land conversion.”

For more information about PF & QF in the West or about the Working Lands for Wildlife Great Plains grasslands biome Framework, contact Tanner Swank at [email protected].