Bill Hutchins

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Biographical Info:

Bill Hutchins is an accomplished journalist and avid environmentalist who is uniquely qualified to explore and understand the beauty as well as the complexity of wilderness experiences.

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Bill Hutchins died March 20, 2002 from a sudden illness. This poem is by Jill Jarboe, a former Pine Jog co-worker

For Bill

Yours should be a poem of ferocious bees
And the anguished cries of natives wailing
Warning don't go down
Don't go down the flashing waters that lead to nowhere
Never to return, never to return.

Life is just a wisp of smoke, a whisper in the wind
But you'll be missed by all whose lives you changed, my far-off friend.

And yours should be a song of customs agents
Staring into dark glasses
Tearing up Amazon possessions
Searching for jungle contraband
As once again you travel
Oh, I know you still must travel in your dreams.

Like a species gone forever, like the falling of the trees
Like a forest gone to desert, like the poisoning of the seas,
Gone too soon, gone too soon.
I can hear the lizards sing gone too soon.

And yours should be a song of snake hooks hanging from the sky
Combing high grasses for slender necked serpents
While children watch in wonder to come upon
The slithery catches
The fangs
The dangling, discarded skins of last season's coats.

We walk along the wooded paths where you have scattered seeds
We swear that we can hear you in the rustling of the leaves.
You're a sunbird in a treetop far beyond our reach
Hidden in the branches, folded wings to sleep.
Oh, I know you must still travel in your dreams.

Life is just a wisp of smoke, a whisper in the wind
But you'll be missed by all whose lives you changed, my far-off friend.

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From Bill's friends and colleagues at Pine Jog.

From the time Bill was just a little boy, collecting bugs and snakes, to the time he served as Land Manager for Pine Jog, steward of a wildlife sanctuary for bugs and snakes and concrete-weary humans, Bill cared about the earth.

His love of nature was there from the very beginning... and it brought him to Pine Jog when he was still in elementary school. He talked his mother into driving him all the way out to Pine Jog to attend a Reptile Course where nearly all the other attendees were adults. And he became Pine Jog's greatest success story, going on to become an enthusiastic advocate for all living things.

His love of the earth and of wild places took him to many parts of the world, to reefs and rainforests, down previously un-rafted rivers, along coasts and into jungles and up mountains and through swampy places... on wild and adventurous journeys that only the stout of heart would even consider.

But he did not go merely as adventurer, as voyeur. He went to experience the wildness of the earth, to learn its hidden stories, and to relate them to those of us too timid to go and learn them on our own.

And tell their stories he did. He was a staunch advocate for the earth, its creatures, and its primitive peoples.

We at Pine Jog were the lucky ones... we got to hear the stories, and see Bill's incredible slides, and read his journals before anyone else!

His enthusiastic tales of travel and adventure were famous - a true "you are there" delight. His photography exemplified his care for the earth and its wild places. He cared about the indigenous peoples and told their story too, showing a concern and understanding for their place in the wild places.

Bill's stories of tigers in India, gorillas in Africa, orangutans in Borneo, of shy and misunderstood peoples in remote and far-flung places, opened our eyes to the wonders of nature and to a side of humanity we might not otherwise have known... a travelogue with an environmental conscience.

One of his favorite places was right here in West Palm Beach - a remote cluster of red maples and bay trees and all their swampy denizens - that came to be known as "Bill's Island" - in the Water Catchment Area. It was his great joy to share that pristine spot with friends and students - to show people, to share with people, a special place that he loved.

He could never say "no" to any student, teacher, or group of adults who wanted to hear his stories and to learn from his experiences. They were always rewarded by being able to share Bill's enthusiastic championing of endangered lands, animals, and people. He touched many lives through his love of nature, his deep understanding of the importance of a healthy environment, and his commitment to its conservation and preservation. His good humor and patience with children made him always happy to share the vast natural history library in his head.

He was a natural teacher - a story teller - and his stories, slides and experiences influenced thousands of children and adults. His good work will echo through the forests of Pine Jog and Borneo for many years.

Occasionally his soft voice and gentle nature belied a passionate seething when an injustice was perpetrated against the environment. This led to his many "letters to the editor" which spoke out for environmental causes... a down-to-earth voice of reason at times when we seem to be letting "progress" do all our thinking for us.

Whenever we see a black racer zip across the path, we will think of Bill. Whenever we see a picture of a tiger, we will think of Bill. Whenever we visit that special island, we will think of Bill.

Whenever we see a spot of earth that has been saved from destruction, we will think of Bill - because he loved the earth, and cared so much.

Whenever we see an unloved part of our precious planet, or one of its unlovely creatures, threatened with harm, we will think of Bill. And we will take action. Because that's what Bill would do, and that's what he'd want us to do.

Those of us who knew him... and loved him... have been shown the way.

There's something to be said, you know, for someone who takes the side of snakes and toads. They will miss Bill Hutchins. The earth will miss Bill Hutchins - and so will we.

Our time with Bill was like time watching a sunrise... over much too soon.

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