AT: Houston Urban Wildlife Project (HUWP)

by Dr. Daniel Brooks, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and currently point-Curator on four permanent exhibits.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science believes that urban wildlife research promotes biodiversity while forming positive associations between people and wildlife. Their answer to documenting the many species we share our neighborhoods with and researching their interactions in an urban environment is the Houston Urban Wildlife Project (HUWP). The Houston Urban Wildlife Project’s purpose is to research urban wildlife here in the Bayou city and understand how these species are able to adapt and thrive despite their strange new habitat.

Bio: Daniel Brooks has been Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science since the late 90’s. He was the point-Curator in building the latest versions of the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife (2014) and Frensley-Graham Hall of African Wildlife (2004), as well as the Vintage Texas Wildlife Dioramas (2014) and Glassell Hall of the Tropical Pacific (2013).
Most of his research today revolves around study of tropical gamebirds in formerly unexplored pristine habitats, and he has described 10 new species of mammals and birds to date. Although he has worked in over 20 countries around the globe, his research has focused predominately in the Neotropics, with an emphasis in the lowlands east of the Andes, in Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay. Additionally, he began dabbling in Southeast Asia several years ago. At the local level, Brooks coordinates a citizen science project called the Texas Invasive Bird Project (TIBP), and also coordinates the recently launched Houston Urban Wildlife Project (HUWP).
By the numbers… since 1985, Brooks has been involved in over 70 research projects, has served as chief editor for eight books, has co/authored 40 book chapters and 150 scientific articles. He has hosted several post-docs, and served on over 25 graduate committees of several students throughout the globe. Brooks has coordinated the Editorial Assistance Program for the Association of Field Ornithologists since 2001.
He received his Master’s degree from Texas Tech University in 1993 focusing on ecology, distribution and natural history of large mammals in the Paraguayan Chaco, while his Ph.D. was received from Texas A&M in 1998 and focused on community ecology of birds in Texas and the Neotropics.