Dr. Stephen P. Havera grew up near the Illinois River in Peoria, Illinois, when Peoria Lake hosted thousands of Canvasbacks and Lesser Scaup. His neighborhood hosted several ardent duck hunters who further honed his interest in waterfowl and the river. Steve gravitated toward a major in biology at Bradley University and continued to further his education at the University of Illinois, primarily because the Illinois Natural History Survey was located on that campus. After completing his Ph.D. and working on various wildlife studies at INHS, Steve teamed up with Frank C. Bellrose of the survey’s waterfowl program in 1978.

From 1982 through 2004, Dr. Havera served as the director of the Forbes Biological Station and its Frank C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center on the Illinois River near Havana. He has conducted studies on various wildlife species in forests, agricultural lands, and wetlands. He has served on several national and regional committees as well as on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, as President of the Organization of Biological Field Stations, as Chairman of the Environmental Issues Committee of the Mississippi Flyway Technical Section, and as President of the North Central Section of The Wildlife Society.

His book and companion field guide entitled Waterfowl of Illinois: Status and Management were published in 1999 and summarized over 100 years of biological information on wetlands and waterfowl in the Midwest. Selected from international competition, Havera received the prestigious 2000 Book of the Year Award from The Wildlife Society for those publications.

While he retired from the position of director and senior professional scientist in June 2004, Dr. Havera maintains an office at the Forbes Biological Station and remains active with the survey as an affiliate.