About Robert Klumb (1967-2013)
Biography
Dr. Robert Allan Klumb was born on May 27, 1967, in West Allis, Wisconsin. Klumb graduated with a doctoral degree from Cornell University. He was particularly passionate about the environment, and he cared about issues like climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change . Klumb also enjoyed a variety of outdoor activities, especially fishing and gardening. In the winter, he ice fished on the Missouri River, and in the summer, he tended to his trees, flowers, vegetables, and nearly a hundred houseplants. Additionally, he had a deep knowledge of music and a passion for football. In his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Klumb served as the lead research biologist at the Service’s Great Plains Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in South Dakota. He used his deep knowledge of river ecology and fish biology to work on the recovery of the endangered sturgeon, and he was well-respected by top scientists throughout the country.
Cause of Death
On July 8, 2013, Klumb and another Service employee, Maegan Spindler, were talking in a parking lot outside of a hotel in Pickstown, South Dakota. A drunk driver ran through a stop sign at an intersection and blew through the parking lot, crashing into the two of them as well as two parked cars. They both died shortly afterwards from their injuries. In 2015, the court convicted the drunk driver, Ronald Ray Fischer, on two counts of vehicular homicide and drug charges.
Sources:
“Cazenovia resident killed in South Dakota crash.” Eagle News Online, 20 July 2013, eaglenewsonline.com/new/obituaries/2013/07/10/cazenovia-resident-killed-south-dakota-crash/.
“Lake Andes Man Convicted Of Vehicular Homicide.” KDLT News, 5 Feb. 2015.
“Robert Klumb Jr.” Ancestry. [Ancestry Account Required].
“Robert Allan Klumb, Ph.D.” Capital Journal, 14 July 2013.
“Two Fish and Wildlife employees struck by car, killed in South Dakota.” InForum, 9 July 2013.
“Two Fish and Wildlife employees struck by car, killed in S.D.” The Jamestown Sun, 10 July 2013.