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Dr. Shaffer is a Professor in the Section of Evolution and Ecology within the College of Biological Sciences who is an internationally recognized herpetologist. Dr. Shaffer has an impressive record of scholarly public service at the local, state, national and international levels, focused on the welfare and conservation of reptiles and amphibians, many of which are suffering population declines in the United States and globally. His contributions are too numerous to describe in detail, but a few examples from the nomination letter illustrate the breadth and depth of his involvement. As a member of the Species Survival Commission for freshwater turtles, which is part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Dr. Shaffer uses his knowledge of genetics and relatedness among turtle species, combined with his years of field experience, to devise prioritization criteria for the world’s most endangered turtle species. He has also participated in Rapid Biological Inventories Assessments in several international hotspots of biodiversity, including the Peruvian Amazon and southwestern China. As described by his nominators, “these trips are intense, sometimes dangerous, and exhausting expeditions that quantify biodiversity for international conservation. A team of experts typically helicopters into a remote area where the team rapidly surveys and photographs all the species they can find in a few weeks. No grants, publications, pay or kudos come from these trips: they are grueling days and nights of sampling done for the protection of the animals and plants. The aim of these activities is to identify, create or enhance existing national parks as joint collaborations between the governments of the countries involved and U.S. conservation organizations.” At the national level, Dr. Shaffer has served pro bono in several capacities in the listing and protection of U.S. amphibians, including 14 years of regular, unpaid consultation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the listing of the California Tiger Salamander as an endangered species. To quote from the nomination letter, “Dr. Shaffer’s extraordinary efforts have resulted in an enormous conservation legacy for the people of California”. He has also contributed a great deal at the local level, having served as a scientific advisor for several counties, for the City of Davis, and for the improvement of the turtle habitat in the UC Davis Arboretum. He speaks regularly to audiences ranging from the California Academy of Sciences to science classes at Davis High School. In short, Dr. Shaffer takes every opportunity to contribute to the protection of reptiles and amphibians nationally and worldwide, and his hard work has paid off in ways that will benefit us all.
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