Oklahoma Biological Survey

Priscilla Crawford has been exploring Oklahoma’s biodiversity for over 25 years.  Arriving at the University of Oklahoma to study grasslands as a grad student, she soon found out that there was much more to Oklahoma than prairie!  Working at the Oklahoma Biological Survey for the past 19 years, she has studied all 12 of the state's ecoregions – surveying endangered birds, looking for invasive aquatic plants, measuring trees of the Ozark forests, collecting data on mesquite grasslands, restoring biodiversity to degraded systems, and more.  She has managed the Oklahoma Natural Areas Registry Program, organized outreach and science communication projects, and is currently the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Program Coordinator.  She just wrapped up writing a book that celebrates Oklahoma’s natural diversity and introduces people to the amazing ecosystems and organisms of the state.  It is due out spring 2026.