From Prairie Weeds to Policy

Zachary Nowak’s journey from Texas A&M research to Western Governors Association advisor highlights the power of interdisciplinary conservation careers

From cheatgrass choking out native prairies to zebra mussels clogging waterways, invasive species are transforming the American West—and not for the better. These nonnative organisms, often introduced accidentally, wreak havoc on ecosystems, economies, and even human health. And the stakes are high. According to the National Invasive Species Information Center, the annual cost of invasive species in North America exceeds $26 billion.

Invasive species are just one of the challenges former Boone and Crockett University Fellow Zachary Nowak is addressing in his public service career.

As a master’s student at Texas A&M, Nowak studied how different countries manage invasive species during his fellowship with the Boone and Crockett Club. Today, he leads the Western Invasive Species Council at the Western Governors Association (WGA), working to connect field experts and improve invasive species management across the West.

“People go out and recreate on public land, and they see green and think it’s good. But it’s not always that way. It might be an invasive species they’re looking at,” Nowak says. “Being able to effect change for so many Americans on their public lands is really something I take pride in.”

Nowak serves as a policy advisor for the WGA, a policy development organization representing a bipartisan group of 22 governors from 19 states and three Pacific territories. He specializes in natural resource topics, including invasive species, threatened and endangered species, water resources, agricultural issues, and compensatory mitigation. His work involves policy research and advocacy strategy development.

“A lot of it is having an understanding of past laws,” Nowak says. When he first started in 2022, for example, he compiled an inventory of every U.S. federal law ever enacted that involved invasive species.

A typical day for Nowak begins with reading the Federal Register and other news sources to stay updated on policy developments. He then connects with various stakeholders—from EPA briefings on PFAs in water supplies to NGO meetings on rural development—and compiles that information into reports for the governors. Based in Denver, Nowak also frequently travels to Washington, D.C., for Congressional advocacy.

One of Nowak’s favorite responsibilities is leading the Western Invasive Species Council, a committee comprised of representatives from each state and territory that serves as a forum for information sharing. “I love knowledge, and it’s so fun to be able to put very smart people in a room together and enable them to solve problems,” Nowak says.

Rooted in Public Service Education

Nowak earned a B.S. in Wildlife and Fishery Sciences in 2019 and a Master of Public Service and Administration in 2021 from Texas A&M University. He was one of the first students in what is now the joint-degree 3+2 program. The program enables students to count approved courses toward both undergraduate and graduate degrees, allowing them to earn two degrees concurrently within five years. It combines coursework from disciplines such as wildlife science, economics, statistics, and policy.

During his master’s program, Nowak worked closely with Professor Perry Barboza, former Boone and Crockett Chair in Wildlife Conservation and Policy at Texas A&M. He also worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Nowak’s current work on invasive species draws directly from the research topics and experiences he explored in the program.

For his capstone project, Nowak led a team of 10 interdisciplinary students in partnership with NRCS to document and inventory every invasive species in two states with contrasting public/private land ownership—Nevada (80.1% federal public lands) and Texas (1.9% federal public lands). As Barboza notes, the number of invasives in each state was proportional to the state’s size and population.

Barboza adds that this year-long project coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, so most of the work was conducted online, making Nowak’s leadership and the team’s research even more impressive. Today, Nowak’s work continues. The project has evolved into a fully funded research initiative, and the latest capstone cohort is conducting an analysis of the invasive species network in the Great Plains region.

Nowak credits the Club with helping him reach his current position by supporting his master’s program and taking a chance on students.

“Doing my undergrad in wildlife science and then having this master’s degree in a combination of political science and wildlife management is extremely advantageous in the field,” Nowak says.

“I think a big issue in public service now is that people get siloed into one area of knowledge. You might be really good in your administrative role, but you have to ask yourself, ‘Do I know what I’m doing?’ [This program] teaches people to have one foot in wildlife science and one foot in political science to truly understand what you’re working on.”

 -Zach Nowak

Giving Back to Public Lands

In his free time, Nowak enjoys skiing, hunting, bird-watching, spending time with his dogs, and sewing handmade outdoor gear—all activities inspired by the public lands that have helped shape his worldview. “[I’m from a] military family, so public service was a core component of my life growing up,” Nowak says. “I’ve lived in six states now. I got to see so much of the U.S. that it was awesome to find a job that lets me give back to our national parks, the Bureau of Land Management, and all our public lands that I got to grow up recreating on.”

Many students enter wildlife fields with a limited idea of what a career can look like. They may not realize the diverse opportunities in conservation or that one of the most important roles is communicating biology to various stakeholders, Barboza says. Nowak’s enthusiasm, can-do attitude, and personable demeanor make him effective at working with people from different disciplines, as demonstrated by his capstone project.

“It is a ton of hard work and the results come slowly, but when they arrive, you do make a big difference,” Nowak advises current students pursuing policy careers. “Even making a small impact in the sphere of public service is absolutely worth all the effort you put in.”

Boone and Crockett Fellows Program

Through its Fellows Program, the Boone and Crockett Wildlife Conservation Program supports graduate students in wildlife conservation and related fields. A Boone and Crockett Fellow is an undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral student supported by Boone and Crockett funding and/or advised by a Boone and Crockett professor or professional member. In addition to displaying academic excellence, Boone and Crockett Fellows are committed to scholarship that:

1. Promotes effective conservation policy through dedication to research, education, outreach, and service.
2. Exhibits leadership in wildlife conservation.
3.  Helps others understand the mission of the Boone and Crockett Club and the evolution of conservation in the United States.
4. Recognizes and appreciates the values of hunting and fishing and the principles of Fair Chase.

For more information about Boone and Crockett Club Fellows or its University Programs, please contact Luke Coccoli, Director of Conservation Research and Education, at [email protected].