Beth Biro

Tyson Natural Resources Coordinator and Staff Scientist

“I had two goals in life: to work outside and have a dog that wouldn’t run away while hiking. Those already happened a long time ago! In college, I really pivoted to ecology. I always had various jobs; one was as a cleaning lady at this rich mansion house. My coworker told me about a fish biologist she worked with at University of Missouri in Columbia. I emailed her and said, ‘I’m interested in all this stuff.’ She embraced me, gave me a job at the USGS, and the people who worked there were awesome, they showed me how they each got to their path. Mentoring like this makes a huge difference. You don’t know about opportunities until you get to know people. Everything we do here at Tyson involves people sharing their stories of how they got to where they are. That sharing makes more opportunities for people.”

Beth’s work as a natural resources coordinator involves making decisions on habitat management, ensuring scientists have the equipment they need, and overseeing lab facilities. But she also spends time doing her own research as a staff scientist, particularly in conservation, through projects such as the Tyson Conservation Corps and the Urban Wildlife Information Network.

What are some aspects of your conservation research projects that you think are overlooked?

“It takes a lot of work and resources to do even the minimal things. Giving more WashU students the applied aspect of conservation work (along with the strong theoretical ecology they already receive) is so important. They need the hands-on experience to see how hard and dirty this work is, and how it feels. That is so important.”

Beth manages landscape and research infrastructure for current and future research conducted at Tyson. Learn more about Tyson natural resources here. She also is part of the St. Louis Wildlife Project and the Tyson Conservation Corps.