{"id":268998,"date":"2025-08-19T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=895193"},"modified":"2025-08-19T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T21:00:00","slug":"where-the-wild-things-are-wildlife-management-with-johnsons-matt-strausser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=268998","title":{"rendered":"Where the Wild Things Are: Wildlife Management with Johnson\u2019s Matt Strausser"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you asked someone what they expected to see during a visit to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center, they would probably list things like astronauts, engineers, and maybe a spacecraft or two. It might be a surprise to learn you can also spy hundreds of species of animals \u2013 from geckos and snakes to white-tailed deer and red-tailed hawks.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ensuring those species and Johnson\u2019s workforce can safely coexist is the main job of Matt Strausser, Johnson\u2019s senior biologist for wildlife management. Strausser works to reduce the negative impacts animals can have on Johnson\u2019s operations as well as the negative impact humans might have on native wildlife and their habitats.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center Senior Biologist Matt Strausser leads a nature hike to Johnson staff that detailed the native plant species and wildlife onsite, invasive species, and mitigation efforts.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Lauren Harnett<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Strausser joined NASA in 2012, fresh out of graduate school, when he was hired on a six-month contract to write Johnson\u2019s first Wildlife Management Plan. \u201cMy contract was extended a couple of times until I became a regular part of the facilities service contract, which is where I still am today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Strausser remembers being interested in natural resources from a young age. \u201cI spent a lot of my childhood poring through copies of National Geographic<\/em>, hiking, and camping,\u201d he said. When it was time for college, Strausser decided to study biology and natural resource management. He spent his summers in jobs or internships that mostly involved endangered wildlife species, including Attwater\u2019s prairie chickens, which are bred at Johnson through a partnership with the Houston Zoo. Strausser noted that he conducted research across the country while he was a student, and even studied fish for a short time in the South Pacific.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all of those adventures in faraway places, I find it ironic that I ended up about 20 miles from where I grew up,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce I got onsite, it did not take me long to find that this property has great remnant native plant communities, a fascinating land use history, and some unique natural resource challenges that come from the work done here. Those factors really drew me in and helped motivate me to build a career at Johnson.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Matthew Strausser received a Silver Snoopy Award through NASA\u2019s Space Flight Awareness Program in 2018, in recognition of his efforts to prevent and mitigate ant-inflicted damage to critical infrastructure electrical systems. From left: NASA astronaut Reid Weissman, Strausser, Strausser\u2019s wife Kayla, NASA Acting Associate Administrator Vanessa Wyche. <\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Strausser\u2019s work involves a variety of activities. First, he gathers data about Johnson\u2019s wildlife populations and their habitats. \u201cI use population counts, conflict records, satellite and aerial imagery, nest surveys, outside reports, and even historical data to get an understanding of what\u2019s on the landscape and what problems we have to tackle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

With that information, Strausser works to engage project and facility managers and provide recommendations on how to prevent or reduce the impact of wildlife problems onsite. Strausser works with Johnson\u2019s facilities maintenance group to modify buildings to keep animals on the outside, and he gets support from the Johnson veterinarian on animal health issues. He also works closely with Johnson\u2019s pest control and groundskeeping contracts, as their work is often adjacent to wildlife management.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

He supports the safety team, as well. \u201cOur security contractors are a great resource for reporting wildlife issues as well as helping address them,\u201d Strausser said, adding that some of Johnson\u2019s safety groups \u201chave been really helpful at getting the word out about how to stay safe around our wildlife\u201d in coordination with the center\u2019s internal communications team.  His team also responds to wildlife conflict calls, which often involve capturing and relocating animals that have wandered into areas where they pose a risk to people or operations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Additionally, Strausser runs the facilities contract\u2019s small unmanned aircraft system, which uses drones to conduct facility inspections, support hurricane response, and survey on-site wildlife.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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An on-site wildlife snapshot captured by the Johnson Space Center facilities contract\u2019s small unmanned aircraft system. <\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The nature of his work has instilled in Strausser an appreciation for teamwork and collaboration among colleagues with distinct experiences. Each of the projects he works on involves team members from different organizations and contracts, and most of them do not have a background in biology. \u201cBuilding a wildlife and natural resource program from the ground up and bringing all of these once-disconnected and diverse professionals together to effectively address problems \u2013 that is the achievement I take the most pride in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Strausser observed that accomplishing the goals of the agency\u2019s Artemis campaign will require a tremendous amount of specialized support infrastructure, and that developing and running that infrastructure will require a wide variety of professionals. \u201cIt is going to require students and specialists with all different types of backgrounds, passions, and talents.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Overall, Strausser said he has a very dynamic job. \u201cWildlife issues tend to be very seasonal, so throughout the year, the types of issues I am addressing change,\u201d he said. \u201cOn top of that, there are always new projects, problems, and questions out there that keep the work fresh and challenging.\u201d He has learned the value of being open to new challenges and learning new skills. \u201cBeing adaptable can be just as important as mastery in a specific field,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n