Dr. Walter (Howdy) E. Howard  
Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Biology andVertebrate Ecology


Education and Employment
AB in Zoology from University of California at Berkeley, December 1939;
MSand PhD in Animal Ecology from University of Michigan, 1942 and 1947.

World War II includes Ski Troops (invasion of Kiska in Aleutian Islands)and USA Typhus Commission on Stillwell Road in Burma.  He has been on the faculty at UCDavis since 1947.

Research
Dr. Howard's research goal has been to find the best way that people and animals could cohabit in agriculture and a changing world and to make animal control applied ecology.   He has authored over 500 publications that include 27 booklets, 295 articles, 54 book chapters, 23 abstracts, 129 professional reports, and 9 book reviews, all mostly on the ecology, behavior, population dynamics, and management  of rodents, coyotes, and other wild vertebrates.  He has three US patents on the control of coyotes and rattlesnakes.

Teaching
Classes taught include Physiology, Economic Zoology, Wildlife Ecology, Principles of Vertebrate Control, Animal Welfare, and Population Problems--Issues in Human Ecology.  His 46 graduate students received their PhD or MS, for the most part, in Ecology but also in Range and Wildlands Science, International Agricultural Development, and Plan Protection and Pest Management.                            

Societies
He is a member  of many societies and organizations including The Wildlife Society (principal founder and Pres. West. Sec. 1955-56); Fellow (1968) American Association for the Advancement of Science; Amer. Soc. of Mammal.; Ecol. Soc. Amer.; Brit. Ecol. Soc.; Soc. for Range Management (Charter member); Calif. Vertebrate Pest Conf. (Chair. 1962,1978); West. Soc. Natural.; Phi Kapa Phi (Chap. Pres. 1970-72); Sigma Xi; Phi Sigma; Toastmasters Intern. (Club Pres. 1961,1978); Rotary Club (1965-).

Foreign Travel
Dr. Howard's professional travels started as a Fulbright Research Scholar to both New Zealand and Australia (1955-56).  He has traveled extensively (71 countries) and lectured or consulted 54 times in 32 countries, 13 of which were with the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization or World Health Organization. 

Honors and Awards
He has received acclaim from the US State Department for his services to New Zealand.  On his fourth trip to China the Mayor of Wuhan, a city of over 6 million, held a large banquet to honor him for his contributions to China.  He received the Great Plains "Wildlife Damage Control Award"(1989); the Western Section of The Wildlife Society's "Raymond F. Dasmann Professional of the Year Award" (1996); the "Program Achievement Award" from the Jack H. Berryman Institute (1998); the California Aggie Alumni "Distinguished Service Award" (2000); and the UCDavis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences' "Award of Distinction" (2000).