Tharran was raised on the Illinois River and has spent over 30 years of his professional life working on river restoration efforts beginning with the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Illinois River Refuge System. In 1999 he joined The Nature Conservancy’s Illinois River Program as a Land Steward and moved to Restoration Manager. His current role is the Director of TNC’s Southern Illinois Program and he continues to work on floodplain river systems throughout the region as well as upland oak/hickory ecosystems around the Shawnee National Forest.
Documenting the results of large-scale restoration efforts is vital to understanding and replicating positive results and thus he has been a principle or supporting investigator on such research as breeding bird use of restorations, water quality, small mammal colonization, and mussel propagation. His professional affiliations include past President of the LaMoine River Ecosystem Partnership, Friends of the Illinois River, Illinois River Coordinating Council Working Group, Boltonia decurrens Recovery Plan Implementation Team, and Prairie State Conservation Coalition Board. Currently he is a Sierra Club Executive Committee member, Illinois Audubon Society Board member, and Team Member of TNC’s Wabash and Green Rivers initiative.
Tharran graduated from Illinois College and attended graduate studies at Western Illinois University in Zoology. He is also a certified Prescribed Fire Manager and Burn Boss.
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