USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services deputy administrator announces retirement 

Janet Bucknall, USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services deputy administrator, will retire from the federal agency at the end of 2024. Bucknall began her career with Wildlife Services in Wisconsin in 1987.  

Wildlife Services is housed under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The organization provides federal leadership to manage wildlife disease threats, livestock predation, crop losses, invasive species and more. Wildlife Services programs and researchers work to find innovative solutions that help people and wildlife coexist.  

Bucknall has enjoyed her decades of work with the agency for a number of reasons.  

“One of the greatest things about wildlife careers is that no two days on the job are the same, especially in the area of wildlife damage management,” Bucknall said. “We get to help people every day in a different way, whether that’s an airport having an issue with gulls or a rancher with cattle in wolf country—that’s the part of the job that keeps many of us in this program for the long game.”   

Some of her fondest memories include working alongside—and learning from—special people over the years and then seeing those people go on to have rewarding careers in conservation and wildlife. 

Bucknall has been a member of TWS since 1987, when she began her professional career. She recalls her first introduction to TWS and the opportunity the Society provides for groups of like-minded conservationists.  

“The Wildlife Society plays an importance role in the lives of people who call themselves ‘wildlifers,’” Bucknall said. “I remember that my first major advisor in college had the list of courses required for federal wildlife biologist jobs taped to his door, and he also had the list for becoming a TWS Certified Wildlife Biologist. It was great because he helped all of us plan our academic careers so we could compete for federal jobs, but he also hooked us in to TWS and that community.” 

TWS and Wildlife Services have had a long-standing partnership, actively promoting the work of wildlife professionals, sharing research and providing opportunities to participate in conferences, chapters and more. 

“This partnership came at a time when it really helped us as a program to continue to develop as a professional outfit,” she said. “There was a time of incredible professional growth throughout the ’80s and ’90s, and the TWS partnership definitely capped that off.” 

Many Wildlife Services staff and researchers provide papers to TWS journals, stories for The Wildlife Professional and have a strong presence during the TWS Annual Conferences.   

“I think our partnership has been very rewarding and hopefully mutually so,” Bucknall said. 

Bucknall said that in retirement she is looking forward to reading the pile of books and the stacks of The Wildlife Professional magazine that she hasn’t gotten to over the years due to her busy schedule. She’s also excited for the opportunity to spend more time with her family and travel, especially to places like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.   

“I’m just looking forward to having a little more time to reflect and really appreciate life on this earth and go out into the woods a little bit more,” she said.