Dr. Doug Beard has been selected as the new chief of the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC). The Center, which is part of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is tasked with helping resource managers and others understand and develop tools to protect fish, wildlife, and their habitats from the effects of climate change. Beard will also oversee the establishment and program direction of the Department of the Interior's eight regional Climate Science Centers.

Beard served as the interim director of the NCCWSC since September 2009. He has previously served as program coordinator for fisheries and aquatic and endangered resources at USGS and held positions in wildlife management in the Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Natural Resources. Beard holds a Ph.D. in zoology.

For the USGS press release, click here.