Walter E. Howard

Walter E. (“Howdy”) Howard was a pioneer in vertebrate ecology, including the study of species that become pests, especially rodents in agricultural areas. Methods for control that he developed are still in use today. He was an expert at promoting new techniques and ideas, with his open, friendly approach (as his preferred name “Howdy” suggests). 

Howdy was brought up in Davis, where his father was a Professor of Pomology. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in zoology in 1939 and subsequently married his life-long partner Betty. Betty died a few weeks after Howdy, also at age 101. In 1940, he became a graduate student at the University of Michigan, completing an MS in Zoology in 1941. In 1942, although now a PhD student, he joined the US Army Ski Troops. After seeing action in Kiska Island in the Aleutians, he was shifted to a training program for medics, to join the fighting in the South Pacific. However, the training camp was infested with bedbugs and he successfully led the efforts to eradicate them. This resulted in belated recognition of his zoology background. He was promoted to Lieutenant and sent to Burma, as part of a team combating typhus fever. In his self-published autobiography Saved by Bedbugs (2003), he expressed that his success with bedbug control probably saved his life, given the short life-expectancies of battle-field medics. 

Howdy went back to graduate school in 1946 and obtained his PhD in animal ecology in 1947, under Lee R. Dice.  His dissertation, on the population biology of deer mice, featured keeping careful records of behavior and reproduction of hundreds of individual mice. This led to publications on the innate and environmental causes of mice dispersal in the wild, some of his most influential work among mammalogists.

In 1947, he joined the faculty in the Division of Agricultural Zoology at UCD, a time when UCD was called the University Farm. His role was to teach undergraduate classes in zoology and, mainly, to conduct research on vertebrates as agricultural pests. His work initially focused on rangeland pests at the San Joaquin Experimental Range. His major contribution was providing an understanding of the life history of pocket gophers and ground squirrels, major rangeland pests. This led to widely used strategies for their control and damage prevention.  His approach was simply that modern pest control required understanding the ecology and behavior of pest species.  His 1959 monograph on the ecology of pocket gophers is still a classic example of how a thorough investigation of pest biology can lead to solutions adaptable to changing times (e.g., public opposition to pesticide use).

In line with his growing reputation as an academic ecologist working on applied issues, Howdy was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to advise New Zealand and Australia on vertebrate pest issues in 1957. New Zealand invited him back to work on pest issues for a sabbatical in 1962-63. In the next 25 years, he visited, upon invitation, numerous countries to advise them on rodent control issues. For example, in 1984, he toured the People’s Republic of China for three months, delivering 117 lectures in 12 provinces. He eventually visited 71 countries, usually sponsored by either the country or by the UN (FAO or WHO). Meanwhile, his research program at UCD, managed by Rex E. Marsh, flourished. His laboratory became the ‘go to’ place for studies on effectiveness of baits, poisons, repellents, attractants, aversive conditioning, chemosterilants, raptor perches, ultrasound, and other proposed means of rodent control. His easy familiarity with diverse methods of control and willingness to engage in dialogue over controversial issues accounted for his frequent invitations to other countries. 

In the 1970s and 80s, Howdy investigated coyote predation on livestock to find methods to either prevent attacks or to kill coyotes that attacked sheep. Not surprisingly, this work was highly controversial, especially when it involved observing predation behavior of captive coyotes. He nevertheless published research on the issues and enjoyed defending the work in public fora.  He was a great believer in educating the public and he often talked about the failure to recognize that most animals in nature lived short lives, followed by violent death. Therefore, he would declare people should not be so concerned about the use of lethal means to control pest animals, as long as there was scientific justification for it.

Howdy was unusual for an academic of his era, in that not only did he emphasize “applied” research in his program, but he thought outreach was important. He was as proud of his many non-academic publications as he was of his academic ones, because they were more likely to reach people who needed information. He had over 100 different co-authors on his publications. He was especially proud of being principal founder of the biennial Vertebrate Pest Conference. He perceived a need for practitioners to learn from each other and to publish results of programs and experiments. So, in 1961, Howdy formed the Vertebrate Pest Council to set up the conference, which was held in 1962. He then chaired the conference and edited the proceedings. It was, and continues to be, a major success, attracting participants from all over the USA and the world. The Vertebrate Pest Council, in recognition of Howdy’s impact of the field of vertebrate pest control established The Walter E. “Howdy” Howard Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, this award was given to Rex E Marsh, Howdy’s longtime research collaborator. The following quote was extracted from the language that supports the award:

Howdy mentored over 50 graduate students for their degrees, including about 30 for PhDs. Many of these students were from countries in which he had worked.  He taught undergraduate courses, Wildlife Ecology and Principles of Animal Control, on an annual basis.  In the 1970s, Howdy offered a popular (up to 500 students) lecture course on human population ecology. While he loved to talk and show slides of his world travels in class, Howdy also actively engaged students, encouraging and responding to questions often and directly.

Another part of Howdy’s legacy is the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, where courses he initiated are still taught. After becoming an independent UC in 1959, UCD created many new departments. In 1964, the Department of Animal Physiology was started by Howdy and two physiology faculty, with the idea that a wildlife department would split from Animal Physiology. This split was partly driven by increasing student demand for environmental courses, such as those taught by Howdy. The wildlife component grew unexpectedly rapidly, so by 1973, it became recognized as the Division of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. Dale Lott was brought in to chair the Division, which was then transformed into a Department.

Overall, it is clear that Howdy Howard had a major impact in applied wildlife ecology, leaving a legacy at UCD, California, and the world that still bears his stamp. During an interview with Terrell Salmon, he mentioned three ideas that guided his life: “It’s important to have vision: if I see a star, I go for it.” “Research should be fun.” And “It’s good to disagree.” We could all benefit from such guidance.

Peter B. Moyle
Dirk Van Vuren
Terrell Salmon