Conservation & Science Staff Bios

Colleen Lynch, M.S.

  Consulting Population Biologist, Population Management Center

Education

  • M.S. – Biology, Kin Differentiation in Baboons (Papio papio), Northern Illinois University
  • B.S. – Biology, Illinois Benedictine College

Areas of Expertise

  • Small population management
  • Reintroduction planning/evaluation
  • Integrated management of captive/wild populations
  • Management and sustainability of avian populations

About Colleen Lynch:

Colleen has been with the Population Management Center since its inception in 2000, serving as a scientific advisor for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ cooperatively managed animal populations. Colleen specializes in the unique challenges of population management for captive populations managed for the purpose of wild population recovery. In this capacity she serves as an advisor to government agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.

In addition to advising zoo population managers, Colleen is currently curator of birds at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. She is therefore especially concerned with using population biology to examine the management and sustainability of avian populations.

Prior to joining Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Colleen was Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds at Lincoln Park Zoo. Colleen also worked as a bird keeper and incubation specialist at the Zoological Society of San Diego’s Avian Propagation Center. She served as studbook keeper and population manager for the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program.

Publications

Coonan, T. J., Varsik, A., Lynch, C., and Schwemm, C. A. 2010. Cooperative conservation: zoos and in situ captive breeding for endangered Island fox Urocyon littoralis ssp. International Zoo Yearbook, 44: 165-172.
Ballou, J., Lees, C., Faust, L., Long, S., Lynch, C., Bingaman-Lackey, L., and Foose, T. 2010. Demographic and Genetic management of captive populations for conservation. Wild Mammals in Captivity. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.
Monroe, E., Lynch, C.  Soluk, D., Britten, H. 2010. Nonlethal Tissue Sampling Techniques and Microsatellite Markers Used for First Report of Genetic Diversity in Two Populations of the Endangered Somatochlora hineana (Odonata: Corduliidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 103(6):1012-1017.
Guiffre, G., Thornton, R., and Lynch, C. 2010. Puppets: construction and use for the hand-rearing of birds. Animal Keeper's Forum.
Bauman, K., Mekarska, A., Grisham, J., and Lynch, C. 2010. Small canid husbandry challenges: reviewing problems, with recommendations for improving captive canid programmes. International Zoo Yearbook, 44: 87-101.
Bakker, V.J., Doak, D.F., Roemer, G.W., Garcelon, D.K., Coonan, T.J., Morrison, S.A., Lynch, C., Ralls, K., and Shaw, R. 2009. Incorporating ecological drivers and uncertainty into a demographic population viability analysis for the island fox. Ecological Monographs, 79(1): 77-108.
Lynch, C. 2008. 2008. Population Biology: the science of population management for captivity, reintroduction, and conservation. Wildlife Middle East News, 2(4).
Lynch, C. 2005. Social behavior of the Guinea baboon. Wildlife Conservation Society, New York. In press.
Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F.  2003. Designing a captive breeding plan with real world constraints. A workbook in conservation biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 63-67.
Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F. 2003. Implementing alternative captive breeding strategies. A workbook in conservation biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 57-61.
Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F. 2003. Managing gene diversity in captive populations. A workbook in conservatin biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 49-56.
Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F. 2003. Simple pedigree analysis. A workbook in conservation biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 1-47.
Lynch, C. 2000. San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike studbook. Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California.
Lynch, C. 1999. San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike studbook. Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California.
Lynch, C. 1998. San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike studbook. Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California.