Dale Becker grew up on a farm in western Iowa, and spending as much time hunting and fishing as possible.  He began his career as a zoologist and animal caretaker with the Omaha Zoological Society.  He and his wife, Marilyn, moved to Montana in 1977.   Between summer positions with the U. S. Forest Service, studying birds of prey in southeastern Montana, he attended the University on Montana and received a B. S. and an M. S. in Wildlife Biology in 1980 and 1984, respectively.  He received his professional certification from The Wildlife Society in 2000, and was the recipient of the Wildlife Biologist of the Year Award from the Montana Chapter of The Wildlife Society in 2004.  He has also served as President of the Chapter from 1996-1998. 

Dale has lived in western Montana since 1977 and, over the years, has worked professionally for the Forest Service, the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Montana and for private environmental consulting firms.  He has been employed as the Tribal Wildlife Program Manager for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation as the Tribal Wildlife Program Manager since 1989.  His areas of expertise are raptor ecology and management, hydroelectric mitigation and highway mitigation planning, species reintroductions, and wildlife management program administration.  In 1996, he and other local wildlife managers developed plans for Trumpeter Swan reintroduction on the Flathead Indian Reservation.  He has directed that effort since that time.  He served as President of The Trumpeter Swan Society from 2005 to 2010.