“The Mysterious Management Plan” by Tom Funke

About the speaker

Tom Funke grew up exploring the fields, forests, and wetlands of southwest Michigan. Minutes from Lake Michigan, he was mentored by his father and his high school Biology teacher to pursue a Biology degree, which he earned from Western Michigan University. 

While at Western, he started his 30+ year career as an intern at the Binder Park Zoo. Twenty years later, he left as their Director of Conservation Education. From there, his life took two paths, he started an outfitting business and a new job with the Audubon society as the Michigan Chapter’s first Conservation Director. 

As conservation director, Funke became a champion for the society to implement management plans for its 20 bird sanctuaries. Although Funke left the Audubon in 2014 to pursue his business full time, these plans are still being implemented today. 

Government shutdowns due to covid caused his business to close, and, an opportunity presented itself to move to Abu Dhabi to work as a Marine Biology Educator, having moved here in December of 2020. 

About the talk:

Management plans are practical, on the ground application of the ecological sciences in preserving, creating, restoring, and managing natural areas. But what exactly is a management plan? How does one come about? Why do so few land managers use them? Funke will share the need for these documents and his experiences conducting inventories, writing, and implementing inventory & management plans at the 20 Audubon bird sanctuaries he directed while working in Michigan.