David Benson started birding in Glacier National Park in 1995 while he was doing his Ph.D. research on White-tailed Ptarmigan at Logan Pass, the highest point along the Going to the Sun road.  He received his Ph.D. in Zoology from Washington State University in 1999 with an emphasis on birds and behavior.  That summer David got a job as Ranger-naturalist in the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park.  He has been there every summer since, leading hikes and doing bird walks, campfire talks, and a bird slide show program.

During the winter he is a tenured Professor of Biology at Marian University in Indianapolis, IN, a position that he has held since 1999. David teaches the outdoor “ologies” like ecology, conservation biology, and ornithology.  He is a member of the biology and environmental science programs at Marian and is also the founding Director of a small natural area on the Marian University campus that provides environmental education opportunities for kindergarten – 12th grade inner city youth and others.  David’s continuing research on Ptarmigan in Glacier National Park is primarily centered on how ptarmigan are dealing with changing climate.