Michael Hutchins

Michael Hutchins "has traveled to over 30 countries and six continents worldwide to pursue his interest in wildlife and nature conservation. Included among his many treasured experiences are: SCUBA diving with Manta rays on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, tracking jaguars in the Brazilian Pantanal, banding Megellanic penguins in Patagonia, observing tribal ceremonies in Papua New Guinea and climbing Volcan Darwin while tracking feral cats on remote Isabela Island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

"has considerable experience with membership-based non-profit organizations, having served three plus years as Executive Director/CEO of The Wildlife Society (http://www.wildlife.org) and 15 years as Director/William Conway Chair, Department of Conservation and Science for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (http://www.aza.org). Prior to that, he was a curatorial trainee in mammalogy, conservation biologist and coordinator of research at the New York Zoological Park (Bronx Zoo)/Wildlife Conservation Society from 1985-1990.

"At AZA, Dr. Hutchins and his staff were responsible for facilitating, supporting and promoting the cooperative conservation and scientific activities of 215 AZA-accredited zoological parks and aquariums throughout North America. Dr. Hutchins has been a champion for increased involvement by accredited zoos and aquariums in field conservation and related scientific and educational initiatives. In 2004-2005 alone, AZA institutions supported or conducted approximately 2,000 field-conservation and associated research and educational initiatives in more than 90 countries worldwide. Among his many duties, Dr. Hutchins coordinated the selection process for AZA’s Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF). In partnership with The Walt Disney Company and many other donors, the CEF provided nearly $2.6 million to support over 140 projects worldwide during his tenure.

"authored over 200 technical and popular articles and books, covering various topics in wildlife management, conservation and science. He is consulting editor for Zoo Biology and International Zoo Yearbook and formerly the primary editor of Smithsonian Institution Press’ (1995-2005) and John Hopkins University Press’ (2005-2007) book series titled Studies in Zoo and Aquarium Biology and Conservation. Six volumes were produced under his leadership. Dr. Hutchins was also the Series Editor and now Editor Emeritus for Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, an online and 17-volume compendium covering the entire animal kingdom (http://gale.cengage.com/pdf/facts/Grzimek.pdf). An update and four topical volumes (Evolution, Ecology, Animal Behavior and Conservation Biology) are currently under development.

"has also served on many national and international advisory boards, including those for The Ocean Project (http://www.theoceanproject.org), IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding and Invasive Species Specialist Groups, The Walt Disney Company’s Animal Kingdom/Wildlife Conservation Fund Advisory Board, and Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park’s Science Advisory Committee. He is listed in the Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering (1998-), Who’s Who in American Education (2006-) and Who’s Who In the World (2007-).

"is an experienced conservation planner, facilitator, and coalition builder, organizing major planning efforts for the black-footed ferret, Micronesian kingfisher and Karner Blue butterfly recovery programs. His Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program Analysis and Action Plan, which was funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, was used to revise the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Recovery Plan. He has also participated in recovery planning for a wide range of endangered taxa, including Micronesian kingfishers, Southern sea otters, Sumatran and Javan rhinoceroses, Sumatran tigers and Bali mynahs.

"In February 1999, Dr. Hutchins organized and moderated a meeting of agencies and organizations concerned about the illegal commercial bushmeat trade in tropical Africa. The meeting resulted in the formation of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force (http://www.bushmeat.org)—a national coalition of more than 30 major U.S. conservation organizations and zoological parks working to find solutions to this significant and complex conservation challenge. Dr. Hutchins chaired the BCTF Steering Committee from 1999-2004. He was also responsible for establishing and managing the Butterfly Conservation Initiative (BFCI), a collaborative effort of over 50 AZA zoos and aquariums, conservation organizations, state and federal wildlife agencies, universities and other partners to recover the 22 federally listed imperiled butterflies in the United States and Canada (http://www.butterflyrecovery.org).

"More recently, at TWS, he has also been actively involved in the development of USGS’ new National Global Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, a U.S. Office of Management and Budget-mandated review of the USGS’ Biological Research Discipline (BRD), and the development of a new Wildlife Phenology Program in collaboration with USGS, the National Phenology Network and the USFWS."