Rob Mortensen of the Aquarium of the Pacific will be our guest speaker this November.

Rob Mortensen is the Assistant Curator for the Bird and Mammal Department at the Aquarium of the Pacific.  Rob’s duties include the collection and care of the aquarium’s birds, marine mammals, program animals, and horticulture.  Mr. Mortensen oversees the animal care staff at the Aquarium to ensure the safety and proper care of all the animals within the bird and mammal group. Mr. Mortensen joined the Aquarium in November of 1997.  His previous employment included mammal trainer and aquarist positions at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL.  Working with various conservation projects, such as Partula land snails, Freshwater mussels, and performing a Rapid Ecological Assessment for the Dominican Republic, helped to solidify Mr. Mortensen’s hands-on conservation approach.  Mr. Mortensen has identified conservation projects and implemented the aquarium’s participation.  These include staffing Piping plover projects, staffing Marine Avifauna Conservation projects, and building facilities for endangered Micronesian kingfishers.  Of which the aquarium currently holds two pairs.   Mr. Mortensen was promoted to the position of Assistant Curator in 2005.

Previously, Mr. Mortensen has been a soldier, stationed at Fort Hood TX. His specialty while in the Army was crew chief for the Apache helicopter.

Mr. Mortensen holds a BS degree in biology/geology from Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL.