Written by Gary Ivey

Sadly, one of our longtime Friends, Dr. John Edgar Cornely, 77, of Larkspur, CO passed away on October 13, 2023, after a long battle with cancer.  

Although John was a mammologist by education (his master’s thesis on woodrats and his doctoral thesis on coyotes), he also became a waterfowl biologist in 1978 when he accepted the job as Supervisory Refuge Biologist at Malheur where he led the extensive biological monitoring program. He left Malheur in 1981 to work at Finley National Wildlife Refuge, another waterfowl-focused job, but Malheur never left him, as he continued to be involved in Malheur issues throughout his life.

John transferred to Denver in 1988, to become the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Mountain Prairie Region’s Migratory Bird Coordinator, where he led their migratory game and nongame bird programs. He was instrumental in the development of plans for four North American Waterfowl Management Plan Joint Ventures and represented the Service in the Pacific and Central Flyways on migratory bird issues. John’s career with the Service was characterized by his long-term contributions in all areas of migratory bird management.  His leadership abilities, combined with his extensive knowledge of the biology and ecology of numerous species of wildlife, and his commitment to ensuring that management and policy decisions consider the best biological and scientific information available have been invaluable to the migratory bird program regionally, nationally, and internationally.  John’s leadership contributed significantly to the Service’s ability to manage migratory birds and preserve this valuable natural resource for future generations.  For his distinguished career and his dedicated service, he was granted the Meritorious Service Award of the Department of the Interior.  After 28 years of Service, John retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007.

After John retired, he continued his life-long work in wildlife conservation as he became the Executive Director of The Trumpeter Swan Society (TTSS) in 2007; he stepped down from that position in 2013 and from 2014-23 he continued service to TTSS as Senior Conservation Advisor. During 2014-23, he served as Chair of the Oral History Committee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Retirees’ Association, where he also served as a Board member during 2016-02. He served on the Board of the National Wildlife Refuge Association in 2012-19 and from 2020-23, he continued as an Emeritus Member of their Board.  John was a strong advocate for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

During John’s career he authored and co-authored 41 scientific publications. John’s final publication, The Mammals of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding Harney County, Oregon should be published in 2024 with the help of his co-author, Dr. Leslie Carroway of Oregon State University.  Dr. Cornely left a powerful legacy in wildlife conservation. He will be missed.