Dan S. Cooper
Deputy Executive Officer, Principal Conservation Biologist
The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains
I’m the Deputy Executive Officer and Principal Conservation Biologist at the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. Before this, I worked as an independent ecologist throughout southern California, focusing on the Los Angeles Basin and Santa Monica Mountains. I also teach Ornithology (CSULB) and serve as a faculty advisor to IoES’s Senior Practicum. While my work involves habitat assessments for agencies, non-profits and private clients, I try to incorporate original research into these projects, exploring and sharing the amazing biodiversity of our region. My work has focused on bird community change over time, but urban adaptation in general has always fascinated me – how nature asserts itself no matter what we throw at it. I currently serve on the Environmental Review Board for L.A. County and the Biodiversity Expert Council for the city of Los Angeles.