Benjamin Jones Email & Phone Number

President and CEO of the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society. RGS & AWS unites conservationists to improve wildlife habitat and forest health for ALL forest wildlife. We promote forest stewardship for our forests, our wildlife and our future. We envision landscapes of diverse, functioning forest ecosystems that provide homes for wildlife and opportunities for people to experience them. Ruffed grouse and American woodcock are bellwethers of forest condition - they can only persist in healthy, diverse forests. These same forests clean the air, filter water, and support local communities. Forest wildlife conservation is my passion. I have worked closely with many conservation partners over 20 years from small woodlot owners to the U.S. Forest Service. Prior to joining RGS/AWS in June 2018, I was Chief of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Habitat Division where I oversaw habitat programs on private and public lands. This included leading the agency’s Pittman-Robertson Program, implementing a management planning system for 1.5 million acres of public land, and building a wildland fire program. I have served on the Board of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association and the Pennsylvania Prescribed Fire Council where I was Chair for six years. Primary interest and career focus are connecting sustainable forest management with wildlife habitat needs. Working forests work for wildlife!Education: Ph.D. in Forestry & Wildlife Science from the University of Tennessee, M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Mississippi State, and a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries with Forest Science minor from Penn State.