UW’s Haub school lands new endowed faculty position for ‘conservation economics’

The University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources gained a new endowed faculty position; the Knobloch Excellence Chair for Conservation Economics and Finance.

The $2 million endowment will support a professor to teach undergraduate courses that examine economics and finance for conservation and to conduct scholarly work in this field. The position will be housed in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Economics and Finance Department in the UW College of Business.

“We’re proud to support the Chair for Conservation Economics and Finance at the UW Haub School,” said Carl Knobloch, board president of the Knobloch Family Foundation. “This field of expertise will play a critical role in protecting the West’s open spaces and natural resources in the decades to come. And the university is the best place to foster education and research that will shape future leaders and decisions in this arena.”

The Knobloch Family Foundation supports protection of the natural world and critical ecosystems that are the foundation of economic activity. Several of its board members are Wyoming residents. The Haub School is also seeking private funds to support endowed chairs in Wildlife Habitat Management and Energy Development as well as in Natural Resource Law and Policy.

Indy Burke, Director, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Indy Burke, Director, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.

“The goal of hiring a professor in conservation finance is to bring sound economic analysis and accountability to the choices made by public and private conservation interests,” said Indy Burke, director of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. “A conservation finance professor will find cost-effective strategies to protect working landscapes in Wyoming and the West. The professor will work with people in the academy and on the ground responding to the pressure to stretch limited conservation funds for greater results.”

“The most important thing about this new position is the integration of economics/finance and ecology/biology,” said Jason Shogren, Chair of the Economics and Finance Department in the UW College of Business. “Rather than stove piping, this person will integrate across disciplines, so we can all do a better job.”

For more information about the Knobloch Excellence Chair in Conservation Economics and Finance or for how to contribute to additional endowed chair positions, please contact Emilene Ostlind, Communications Coordinator, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming at emilene@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2604.

Dustin Bleizeffer covers energy and climate at WyoFile. He has worked as a coal miner, an oilfield mechanic, and for more than 25 years as a statewide reporter and editor primarily covering the energy...

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *