Owen Best

Owen Best grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas as an avid outdoorsman. This led him to Stephen F. Austin State University where he received a B.S. in Forest Wildlife Management. After graduating he worked in the Prairie Potholes for a summer. He then spent 5 years working for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) manager at Justin Hurst WMA.

He then moved to Lafayette, Louisiana where he worked for Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries for 5 years as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) Coordinator. In this role, he gained experience working with Joint Ventures to meet NAWMP goals and objectives through habitat management, creation and restoration of wetland systems in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, and managing coastal marshes, wetlands, prairies and grasslands through private land incentive programs.

He now works for ABC and the Gulf Coast Joint Venture (GCJV) coordinating coastal grassland restoration and management for grassland dependent bird species in the GCJV geography as well as supporting and/or creating new habitat delivery programs that help reach Joint Venture goals and objectives.