Jim Pitman is the new eastern Kansas biologist on the Ducks Unlimited Kansas Conservation Team. Pitman started in September and will work from his home in Emporia. He earned a Bachelor of Science in wildlife science from Purdue University and a Master of Science in ecology and systematics from Kansas State University.

Pitman started his career in 2003 as the statewide upland game biologist for the Indiana Division of Fish Wildlife, which is a position he held for two-and-a-half years. He was small game coordinator for Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism for 10 years. Pitman also served as the conservation delivery director for the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, where he worked on the lesser prairie-chicken, range-wide conservation plan. Most recently, he worked for the National Wild Turkey Federation as the district biologist for Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.

At Ducks Unlimited, Pitman will be working on a combination of private and public lands programs in the eastern half of Kansas. Some of the funding for the position is focused on improving water quality in Kansas streams and reservoirs via wetland restoration and enhancement. This is new territory for DU, so we added capacity for the program in some previously underserved areas of the state. He will also be assisting with other programs, fundraising, land protection, public policy, and grant writing.

Pitman can be reached at jpitman@ducks.org, 620-704-4758.