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KENNETH N. CHILD

DISTINGUISHED MOOSE BIOLOGIST - 2009 RECIPIENT

The Distinguished Moose Biologist Award was 
presented to Kenneth N. Child at the 44th North 
American Moose Conference and Workshop, held 
at the University of Idaho, in Pocatello, Idaho, USA, 
14-17 June 2009, in recognition of his contribution 
to moose management.

Ken is a graduate of Carleton University, Ot-
tawa (Hons. B. Sc. 1967), and the University of 
Victoria, Victoria, BC (M. Sc. 1970).  He spent 
19 years (1973-1992) with the BC Ministry of 
Environment as a Regional Wildlife Biologist in 
Prince George responsible for the management of 
all big game species, but specialized in the man-
agement of moose.  He retired from government 
service in 1992 and joined B.C. Hydro Corporation 
as the Regional Environmental Co-ordinator for 
delivery of an Environmental Management System 
(ISO 14000) for the production and transmission 
of electrical power in the province.  During his 
years with BC Hydro, Ken remained involved in 
wildlife in the establishment and field delivery of  
major compensation programs for fish and wildlife 
resources in the both the Peace-Williston and Co-
lumbia reservoirs and generating facilities.  

Ken has published numerous peer-reviewed 
and popular articles and technical reports on a 
number of big game species in the Canadian Journal 
of Zoology, Journal of Mammalogy, Canadian Vet-
erinary Journal, Wildlife Review, Canadian Field 
Naturalist, and 12 papers in Alces.  He is also a 

contributing author in Ecology and Management of 
the North American Moose (Chapter 8, Incidental 
Mortality).  He is currently volunteering his ser-
vices on a Moose-Train Collision Working group 
with local stakeholders, government biologists, 
and the Canadian National Railway to address the 
mitigation of moose-train mortality along railway 
corridors in central British Columbia.

Ken, as the Regional Wildlife Biologist for 
the Omineca subregion in British Columbia, in-
troduced a selective harvesting strategy for moose.    
After 28 years, the Omineca continues to report 
the highest and most consistent harvest level of 
moose per km2 in the province: a testament to  
Ken’s  management efforts in the early 80’s.

Ken has been an active participant in the North 
American Moose Conference and Workshop.  He 
was a regular attendee and contributor to Work-
shops and chaired the 19th Workshop in Prince 
George (1983) and co-chaired the 43rd Workshop 
at the University of Northern British Columbia, 
Prince George (2007).  He plans to continue his 
research on moose at his leisure.  Ken has served 
as a peer reviewer for Alces on numerous occa-
sions over the years and even when in the employ 
of BC Hydro.   

The North American Moose Conference and 
Workshop is pleased to recognize Ken Child as 
the recipient of the Distinguished Moose Biolo-
gist Award for 2009 for his contributions to moose 
management and the successful introduction of 
selective harvesting strategies for moose in the 
Omineca.