Kari Di Loreto
kdiloreto@bire.org
845.838.1600 x16
Protecting the environment beyond parks and preserves
Environmentalists are envisioning new ways to protect biodiversity and ecological functions beyond the borders of traditional parks and preserves. Dr. Koontz discusses a regional, landscape-level approach in the Hudson Hills and Highlands of Westchester and Putnam counties that engages citizens to more actively practice "nature-friendly living" in their own back yards and communities.
Fred W. Koontz, PH.D., Executive Director, Teatown Lake Reservation
Joining Teatown in June 2005, Dr. Fred Koontz brought a wide range of experience working with wildlife and environmental education, including 21 years in the nature conservation and environmental protection fields. A native of Baltimore, Fred received his Ph.D. in Zoology in 1984 from the University of Maryland.
While in graduate school, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoological Park, specializing in animal communication and the social behavior of mammals. Fred’s vast experiences include a 15-year career at the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he was a former Curator of Mammalogy at the Bronx Zoo. He was also the founder and first director of the Society’s Science Resource Center, which was created to train conservation professionals to incorporate cutting-edge methodologies and technologies into their work.
As Program Director and Executive Vice President at the Wildlife Trust, he founded the New York Bioscape Initiative, a program that takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying biodiversity and health in the tri-state metropolitan region. A highly regarded leader in the field of nature conservation, environmental protection and education, Fred has spoken extensively on both animal behavior and wildlife conservation, including television and radio programs. He has authored more than 50 articles, and has held adjunct positions at three universities.
Fred has served on committees for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program, American Zoos and Aquariums Association and other organizations. Locally, he serves on the Town of Philipstown Natural Resources Committee and is a member of the board of the Hudson Highlands Land Trust.