Joseph Drew Lanham

Joseph Drew Lanham is an American author, poet, and wildlife biologist who was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022 for his work "combining conservation science with personal, historical, and cultural narratives of nature.” He currently teaches several classes on birding and wildlife science. He describes his work in his own words as, ‘Connecting the conservation dots’ is how I envision my research mission. My past work has focused on the impacts of forest management and other human activities on songbirds, herpetofauna, small mammals and butterflies. More recently I have begun to investigate how ethnicity (especially Black Americans) relate to wildlife and other conservation issues. I'm also interested in how birders and hunters might bridge philosophical gaps to effect conservation in a more holistic way.” His books include The Home Place, Sparrow Envy, Joy is the Justice We Give Ourselves, and Dawn Songs.