Marcus Blum, Ph.D., recently joined the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as the statewide wildlife specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.
Marcus Blum, Ph.D., recently joined the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as the statewide wildlife specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. (Texas A&M AgriLife) “Private landowners are key to conserving and managing Texas wildlife,” Blum said. “My role is to ensure they have access to the latest tools, technology and knowledge to steward our natural resources and reach their unique wildlife management goals.”
Mitigating wildlife conflict, expanding wildlife knowledge Blum’s work will focus on mitigating negative wildlife interactions and damage, especially related to feral hogs and predators.
In addition to resolving negative impacts for landowners, Blum will help them achieve specific wildlife management goals through ongoing research that addresses real-world challenges specific to regional ecology and habitat.
Blum said this research and outreach will primarily focus on white-tailed deer, the state’s most popular game animal. However, he also wants to include the state’s other large mammals, such as pronghorn, bighorn sheep and exotic species.
Building partnerships, fostering collaboration to benefit wildlife Blum said he is already building relationships with more than 600 AgriLife Extension county agents across Texas.
“Our county agents are integral to my work,” he said. “They are intimately involved within their communities, and their input will help me address the needs of landowners on a county-by-county basis.”
In addition to connecting with landowners through programming such as webinars and in-person workshops, Blum said he hopes to foster greater collaboration between private landowners to achieve more landscape-scale management across properties.
New role a continuation of service to Texas A&M AgriLife Prior to his new role, Blum was a research scientist with the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, where he worked with numerous big game species ranging from moose to mule deer.
“I look forward to drawing from past experiences and relationships with the Natural Resources Institute to benefit landowners and the lives of Texans through Texas A&M AgriLife.”
Marcus Blum
