Robert W. Hastings

Robert W. Hastings is a retired marine biologist, now living in Prattville, Alabama. He served as Director of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program in Montgomery, Alabama, in from 2002 to 2005, and now works as an environmental consultant with the Heritage Program in the Auburn University Environmental Institute. He also gives educational presentations on the snakes and other wildlife of the southeastern states as "Dr. Bob's Traveling Snake Show". He was formerly director of the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station, a facility of Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU), located near Manchac in the upper Lake Pontchartrain estuary.

Under Dr. Hastings' direction, Turtle Cove became an important educational and research facility focusing on the wetlands of the upper Lake Pontchartrain estuary. Dr. Hastings has taught courses in Ichthyology, Marine Biology, and Estuarine Ecology, as well as various workshops conducted at the research station. In cooperation with personnel from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Dr. Hastings developed the "Lessons of the Lake" Weekend Workshops for Teachers which were offered several times per year at Turtle Cove.

In addition to developing a diversity of quality educational programs to establish Turtle Cove as a major center for environmental education in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, Dr. Hastings conducted research on fish populations in the upper Lake Pontchartrain estuary. In addition, he supervised graduate students in Master's thesis research on fish ecology and distribution patterns, and alligator nesting and feeding habits. His students also initiated cypress regeneration projects in open marshes of the Turtle Cove/Manchac area, which were continued by other researchers with significant promise of success. Dr. Hastings also organized and supervised marsh restoration programs in the Manchac area.

Dr. Hastings received the Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Florida in 1965, and the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University in 1967 and 1972, respectively. He spent 12 years as a professor of zoology at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, where he was also chairman of the Biology Department during 1982 84, and also conducted research on the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the Delaware River.

Dr. Hastings has served on numerous committees and other groups concerned with environmental issues in Louisiana and Alabama. He is a dedicated environmentalist and is active in a number of environmental organizations. Dr. Hastings was an active member of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and served as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee, the Education Committee, and the Comprehensive Management Plan Advisory Working Group. He is a member of the Pontchartrain Research Committee, which has organized the "Basics of the Basin" symposia on Lake Pontchartrain research. He is currently Chair of the Board of Directors for the Gulf Restoration Network.

Dr. Hastings is an active member of the Sierra Club, in which he has held several leadership positions in both Louisiana and Alabama. He has also led Inner City Outings, a Sierra Club program to give groups of disadvantaged, minority kids wilderness experiences.

Dr. Hastings has received numerous awards for environmental education. The Louisiana Wildlife Federation named Dr. Hastings Conservation Educator of the Year for 1993, and cited his "selfless dedication to understanding and protecting Louisiana's natural resources through education and leadership". He was also given the Coastal Stewardship Award for Education in 1997 by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and the Award for Excellence in Environmental Education in 1998 by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency Region 6. In 2002, he was given the National Wetlands Award in Education/Outreach by the Environmental Law Institute.