Paul Di Salvo

-Inaugural holder of nationwide position to collaboratively vision and implement conservation and recovery programs for endangered and threatened (listed) species for all federal agencies and lands

-Led and developed programmatic guidance for federal agencies to aid in designing and implementing ESA section 7(a)(1) conservation programs, in collaboration National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

-Created FWS 7(a)(1) strategic plan and roadmap to gain FWS internal support and provide a vision for ESA section 7(a)(1) resource development

-Recognized by FWS Director for developing Department of Defense’s first nationwide 7(a)(1) conservation program, devising best management practices for monarch butterfly recovery while ensuring operational flexibility and mission readiness on military bases

-Advised and reviewed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) solar energy permitting plan and Section 7 Biological Opinion, incorporating 7(a)(1) conservation program for listed species on 31 million acres of public land in 11 western states for solar energy permitting

-Cultivated partnerships with over 10 federal agencies and NGOs through individual outreach, presentations, and workshops to identify 7(a)(1) program challenges, implementation strategy, and vision for successful conservation initiatives

-United and mobilized a coalition of over a dozen federal agency partners to explore implementation of 7(a)(1) proactive recovery programs and develop plans for site-specific and nationwide lands

-Advocated to FWS Director, political leadership, and senior leadership for awareness and resources to build 7(a)(1) conservation program and allocation of staff and financial resources

-Gathered funding opportunities through partnerships with the National Science Foundation and from over a dozen FWS grants to provide financial resources for federal recovery programs

Policy expert responsible for designing and implementing ESA and conventional pesticide regulatory policy for 120-employee division and liaisoning with agency, regulated community, and stakeholders.

-Devised first Workplan for pesticide compliance with ESA and step-down Herbicide, Insecticide, and Rodenticide Strategies, by integrating extensive industry, grower, and NGO feedback into workable mitigation that protected pesticide tools, crop production, and listed species

-Provided technical assistance on regulatory process improvements to industry, stakeholders, and Congress, resulting in 5th reauthorization of Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA)

-Led strategic planning by guiding senior leaders to set measurable goals and adaptively manage limited personnel and financial resources, resulting in process improvements, electronic workflows, and faster application processing

-Oversaw and trained 30+ junior staff on herbicide, insecticide, rodenticide, and fungicide label review, ensuring application approvals were fair and consistent with regulations and policy

• Provide detailed review of conventional pesticide applications for rodenticides, insecticides, and vertebrate products under FIFRA, FFDCA, and FQPA
• Lead and organize meetings with other divisions to discuss proposed pesticide applications and evaluate potential human health effects, environmental effects, and economic considerations
• Provide expert scientific guidance to other divisions regarding potential effects to wildlife and appropriate use patterns of vertebrate products for agriculture operations
• Evaluate complex product ‘device’ claim on nationwide panel to ensure compliance with FIFRA and issue formal device determinations
• Author reviews of vertebrate efficacy and child/dog resistance studies submitted in pesticide applications to determine whether studies meet agency laboratory protocols and meet acceptable mortality, consumption, and safety thresholds
• Follow agency guidance, including 40 CFR and Risk Management Decisions, to evaluate industry-proposed pesticide container labels and booklets
• Complete review of pesticide applications under PRIA 3 Congressionally-mandated timeframes, often well in advance of deadlines
• Register (or deny) new pesticide products and amendments to existing products after carefully consulting with multidisciplinary agency staff and reviewing the scientific facts, and independently making a risk management decision
• Respond to pesticide registrants, federal and state agencies, and the public requests for information on pesticides and concerns via email, formal letter, or phone call in a calm, accurate, and timely manner
• Collaborate on interagency workgroup to reduce regulatory redundancy between EPA and FDA
• Lead team of 7 employees through daily operations and resolve complex registration and safety questions as Acting Product Manager or Acting Branch Chief several times per month

• Contributing author on Predator Damage Management EA, working collaboratively with environmental consultant to polish technical description and analysis of effects of statewide WDM program
• Ensures compliance of Wildlife Services (WS) programs with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) through development of new EAs and reviewing of previous EAs/Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and Categorical Exclusions (CEs)
• Develop recommendations to minimize impact of fish, wildlife, and related habitat in relation to proposed action for EAs
• Coordination with state (Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, Oregon Dept. of Agriculture), federal (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management), and tribal (Nez Perce) entities on WDM EAs
• Represent WS at meetings with other agencies, tribes, District staff, and to the public stakeholders
• Research and prepare literature reviews and detailed analysis on program methods and environmental effects for EAs
• Critically analyze drafts of NEPA and routine technical documents for clarity, punctuation, grammar, and content
• Conduct outreach for WS at county fairs, college student presentations, and District staff meetings to effectively explain the nuances of agencies WDM programs
• Summarize and explain Biological Assessments (BAs) and Biological Opinions (BOs) from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to field technicians to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
• Expertly conduct Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis for feral swine and aerial hunting programs to increase accuracy of field operations
• Build team moral between 3 geographically isolated Districts and State WS office
• Ensure compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and expertly manage the Project Record and Administrative Record for EAs

Provided key technical and scientific support in the areas of invasive ecology, disease ecology, wildlife biology, geospatial methods (GIS), and the interface between wildlife and livestock; Assisted interdisciplinary veterinary, ecology, and non-profit collaborators in the research of the invasive potential and disease transmission of feral swine as part of National Feral Swine Management Program; Gathered, synthesized, and quality checked feral swine harvest, occurrence, and habitat suitability datasets for population parameterization; Heavily utilized Microsoft Access, SQL, MIS (Management Information Systems), and other database programs to create, manage, and query large databases to answer feral swine ecological questions and provide analysis for interdisciplinary risk and cost-benefit analyses; Geospatially analyzed the probability of feral swine and livestock commodity interactions using ArcGIS software for incorporation into disease transmission models; Lead and conducted pilot field studies on pen-raised feral swine to assess animal’s ear tolerance to various weights of GPS units; Implemented camera trapping array and GPS collar banding of wild feral swine for mark-recapture study to estimate population density and distribution in Florida, California, and Texas; Conducted handling of medium-sized, dangerous feral swine and baited metal drop door traps; Collected biological samples from wildlife, including hair, tissue, blood, and fecal elements; Analyzed camera trapping field data and photos and integrated these items with existing databases to inform feral swine management hypotheses and priorities; Collaborated with interagency, state, local, educational, and non-profit partners through cooperative agreements to achieve feral swine management goals; Represented USDA-APHIS at several conferences and workshops to work with stakeholders on how USDA can be of more assistance in regards to management of feral swine

Conducted nest surveys of federally listed piping plover and least terns. Estimated populations of five river turtle species with baited hoop nets and macroinvertebrates with hester dendee traps; designed and implemented survey of terrestrial gastropods; used kayaks, canoes, and UTVs to collect data for park’s management plans; maintained park properties, equipment, and vehicles; created forested hiking trail, supplemental trail guide brochure, and several resource brief publications; monitored water quality of over 30 river tributaries; lead interpretation outreach to the public by leading informal programs and activities.