Conserving Delaware’s wildlife

Joe Rogerson couldn't wait to start his graduate studies at the University of Delaware. The wildlife ecology alumnus skipped his college graduation to jump-start his graduate fieldwork.

"A day or two after my final exam, I was in Newark, ready to get started," said Rogerson, now the wildlife section administrator for Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Rogerson was interested in deer and came to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) to study with Jake Bowman, a professor of wildlife ecology and current chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. Bowman is known for his research into the Cervidae, or deer family. Rogerson spent the summer in a field assessing the impacts of whitetail deer browsing on soybean yield.

In 2005, Rogerson was the first UD student to earn an M.S. in wildlife ecology. He said his time at UD helped crystallize his career path in conservation.

"Instead of doing research, I was interested in taking the research findings and data and putting them into action," Rogerson said.

That is exactly what Rogerson has done. His work encompasses everything from migrating shorebirds to interloping black bears.

After graduation, Rogerson started his career as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). A year later, he accepted his dream job, serving as Delaware's deer and furbearer project leader with DNREC. He spent a decade in the position before moving on to program manager for species conservation and research. The role took Rogerson to Capitol Hill, where, in 2019, he testified at the Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on invasive species.

In 2024, Rogerson was promoted to wildlife section administrator. He now oversees 60 full-time employees, including wildlife biologists, habitat managers and seasonal biological aides. He plans to align these different teams in an effort to bolster threatened species.