A retirement reception for Craig Allen, research scientist and leader of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, is 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 1 in Hardin Hall.

Allen will retire on March 31 after 15 years with the Nebraska COOP unit. Since 2004, he has grown the organization’s staff from two members to eight, along with a team of 25 graduate students and 100 temporary summer workers.

The reception will also honor the unit’s work over the years, specifically Allen’s theory on cycles of collapse and renewal and maintaining resilience.

“Of all the states I’ve been in, Nebraska is the most collaborative,” Allen said of the cooperative’s growth over the years. “The success is owed to all our partners, staff and students. Without such a strong conservation community that works so well together, it wouldn’t have happened.”

The reception is free and open to the campus community.