BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



Jeffrey P. Jorgenson was born on 15 July 1951 in a small town in west central Minnesota. 

 His earliest memories include enjoyable holiday gatherings with relatives, several unexpected moves 

 with his family to new towns, and frequent summer vacations at farms belonging to his grandparents or 

 other relatives. During these vacations he learned how to drive a tractor and stalk wild animals. These 

 were pleasant times. 



After graduating from Benson Senior High School in 1969, he attended Augustana College 

 (1969-1973), Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he became interested in plants and bird watching. 

 Subsequently he attended the University of North Dakota (1973-1977), Grand Forks, North Dakota, 

 and earned the Master of Science degree. He conducted research on habitat use and movement patterns 

 of the greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus). In 1976 Jorgenson became a Peace 

 Corps Volunteer and was assigned to Colombia (1976-1979). During the first part of his Peace Corps 

 service he studied the ecology and behavior of the capybara {Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris), the world's 

 largest rodent, while living on a cattle ranch in the northeastern part of the country. Later, he moved 

 to a site in the Andes Mountains, near Santafe de Bogota, and conducted small mammal surveys. At 

 that time Jorgenson also became interested in the ecology and conservation status of the spectacled bear 

 (Tremarctos omatus). Upon completion of his Peace Corps service in 1979, Jorgenson was married to 

 Amanda Barrera Rodriguez, whom he had met in Bogota. 



Upon his return to the United States in 1979, Jorgenson worked briefly with the Bureau of 

 Reclamation in North Dakota, on the Garrison Diversion Project, before accepting a position in 

 Washington, DC, with the Fish and Wildlife Service (1980-1986). In Washington, he worked as a 

 biologist in the office that served as the U.S. Management Authority for the Convention on 

 International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Jorgenson' s knowledge 



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