U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Paul Heimowitz serves as the Invasive Species Coordinator for the Ecological Services Program in the Portland regional office. In his role, Paul is involved in invasive species management at a range of scales — from working with specific field offices to leading projects across the region. For example, Paul has been working with NW CASC and EcoAdapt to launch and lead the Pacific Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Network, established to help natural resource managers and biologists incorporate climate change science into invasive species management.
Paul grew up in Tucson and got his undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. Seeking more water and less heat, he moved to the Northwest for grad school, receiving a master’s in Marine Resources Management at Oregon State University. Paul began his conservation career working on oil spill prevention and response with the state of Washington, followed by a position with Oregon Sea Grant, which shifted his focus to biological invasions. In 2003, he began his tenure with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Paul lives with his partner Jan in southwest Portland. In his off-work time, he enjoys hiking, cycling and performing improv comedy.
What led you to work in the field of climate adaptation?
It’s funny – until now, I didn’t really think of myself working in the “field” of climate adaptation. But in the last few years, it’s definitely become a significant emphasis of my job. That shift stemmed from the growing recognition of the nexus between climate change and invasive species management, and it has fueled my desire to get involved in other regional climate adaptation efforts.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
Well, during these pandemic days, it looks like a parade of video calls! I’m fortunate to have a lot of variety on my plate. For example, yesterday I spent time helping a field office with a local invasive species problem and then participated in a national team meeting about how USFWS uses biotechnology. I have two major projects associated with climate adaptation. The first is helping support growth of the Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change network; I’m really excited by the interest it has spurred. I’m also leading a regional effort to develop new USFWS decision-support tools for conservation introductions: moving species outside their native ranges to prevent extinction in the wild.
How does your organization support climate resilience in the Northwest?
Arguably, our entire mission of conserving fish and wildlife and their habitats has the potential to make them more resilient to our changing climate. But I’m encouraged by how we’re being more intentional to directly address climate impacts. Most recently, our region is looking at concrete steps — from carbon footprint reduction to modeling species’ ecological trajectories — that we can take during 2022 to begin implementing the recently released national USFWS Climate Change Action Program.
What is your favorite thing about your work?
I love the chance to work with and learn from an awesome group of people, but I’m also grateful to have a job aligned with my passion for fish and wildlife conservation. I’m a nature nut, and am thrilled to know that pretty much every work day will provide me the opportunity to focus on, and hopefully benefit, the amazing plants and animals that occupy our region.