Thom Almendinger

At Duke Farms, Thom Almendinger has developed and continues to direct a large-scale landscape restoration program on the 2,740-acre property that includes a range of habitats fostering nearly 30 species of wildlife, listed as threatened and endangered in New Jersey. The Natural Resources Team hosts a number of applied research projects in partnership with research universities, institutions, private firms and other foundations.

Almendinger serves on the technical advisory boards for the Rutgers University EcoPreserve, NJ Invasive Species Strike Team, the Hutcheson Memorial Forest at Rutgers University and is past vice president of the NJ Wildlife Society. He is also a Certified Ecologist through the Ecological Society of America.

Almendinger and his team have been awarded numerous awards including the ANJEE Environmental Education Award, Sustainable Raritan Award, Land Ethics Award, NJDEP Environmental Stewardship Award and the US EPA Environmental Quality Award.

His research interests include plant-herbivore interactions, particularly between overabundant white-tailed deer and invasive plants, restoration of degraded habitats, conservation of threatened/endangered species and sustainable agriculture as it relates to habitat and ecosystem services.

He holds an A.A.S. in forestry from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. At the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Almendinger earned a Bachelor of Science degree in ecology and natural resources, and a Master of Science degree in ecology and evolution.