Michigan wildlife pathologist honored for wild turkey restoration efforts

The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Michigan chapter has awarded its Outstanding Conservationist of the Year award to Tom Cooley, a 40-year employee of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division.

Cooley, a wildlife pathologist at the DNR Wildlife Disease Laboratory at Michigan State University, was recognized for his part in the successful restoration of wild turkeys in Michigan, as well his monitoring of wild turkeys for diseases and other concerns that impact the health of Michigan wild turkey population, the Michigan DNR said in a news release.

“Tom is a key employee who is very effective at his job," Russ Mason, chief of the DNR Wildlife Division, said in the release. "We rely heavily on his knowledge and his insights about wildlife disease and parasitology.”

In the DNR wild turkey restoration efforts, all wild birds that came from out of state or are provided to other states and Canada are tested for disease, Al Steward, upland game bird specialist for the DNR, said in the release.

“Tom was part of the team that helped test each bird. Many times wild captured birds would arrive at the lab in the evening, get tested during the night and be prepared for release the following morning at a new site,” Steward said in the release. “Tom was one of the first people to assist and one of the last biologists to leave during these all-night procedures.”