Daniel William Moulton

Daniel W. Moulton was born November 21, 1944 in Cornwall, NY. He died peacefully, with his family at his side, on September 3, 2025 in Plano, TX. His death resulted from a fall that caused a spinal injury.

Dan was a graduate of Colgate University, and received his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Wildlife Ecology at University of Wisconsin and Utah State University, respectively. He was drafted from graduate school during the Vietnam war, and he served his time in a lab at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, MA.

He did post-doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota. This work took him to an island in the Pacific to study the Laysan Duck. Between his two field seasons on Laysan, he worked at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland, where he met his wife Lynne Stokes. They were married in 1981 and their first child, Laurel, was born there. When he was offered a position with Texas Parks and Wildlife in 1983, they moved to Austin, where their daughter Claire was born. He worked in Resource Protection at TPWD, where he was responsible for protecting acres of Texas wetlands for waterfowl and recreation through purchase and restoration of coastal land. After retirement, he moved to Dallas, where he taught environmental science in several local colleges.

Dan was the author of numerous scholarly and popular articles about waterfowl and their habitats, and of a guidebook to nature centers in Texas. He chaired the Dallas Sierra Club for several years and was a passionate environmental steward.

Besides his family, his loves were nature, good food and wine with friends, spirited discussions about politics and science, and dogs. He was a straight shooter, a lifelong learner, a brave cancer survivor, and a source of strength for his family.

Dan was predeceased by his parents, Daniel and Katherine (Lent) Moulton. He is survived by his wife Lynne Stokes, his daughters Laurel and Claire Moulton, his sister Marilyn Moulton Bucher and her husband Bill, several nieces and nephews, and his beloved dog Gigi.

A celebration of life service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to the Dallas Chapter of the Sierra Club, Dallas Pets Alive, or a conservation or animal rescue organization of your choice.