Strategic Impact Award (Individual)

William Ripple, OSU-Cascades, College of Forestry

In the words of his nominator, “the work of Dr. William Ripple on the loss and ecologic impact of major predators around the world has been the most successful public outreach done by any scientist at Oregon State University” in the past 12 years.

Indeed, Dr. Ripple’s pioneering studies have reached tens of millions of people because he provides thoughtful, balanced insights on important topics in a simple but interesting style that’s understandable to the lay public.

His findings have been published in all of the world’s major media outlets, among them The New York Times, BBC, PBS and National Geographic. A study by Dr. Ripple released last December summarized a decade of findings on the impact of wolves on Yellowstone National Park. It was carried nationally by 234 news media outlets.

His work has affected conservation policy, petitions for listing endangered species, and ongoing public policy debates on how to manage wolves.

The impact of Dr. Ripple’s communication and outreach efforts has been massive, frequent and worldwide. They have reached everyone from elementary students in Israel to our nation’s political leaders.