Joel Bartsch: Exploring the Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston’s Hermann Park

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Exploring the Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston’s Hermann Park

An established community leader, Joel A. Bartsch holds responsibilities as Houston Museum of Natural Science CEO and president. Joel Bartsch is responsible for the conception and management of numerous museum expansions and additions.

One of the most unusual offerings at the museum is the Cockrell Butterfly Center. The three-story, 70-foot-tall glass enclosure in Hermann Park brings together local Texas butterflies, as well as species from around the globe.

Kept at a constant 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the humid enclosure allows the colorful insects to fly freely once they emerge from the chrysalis state. Feeding stations are anchored on the ground and suspended from vegetation, offering fruit and nutrient-soaked sponges that meet their dietary needs.

The full life cycle is on display as well, with eggs laid on leaves collected into glass-enclosed cases that house pupae. After emerging from the cocoon, the young butterflies take time to gain hardness in the wings before using them to exit and live out their days in the expansive enclosed space. In addition to 2,000 butterflies, the Cockrell Butterfly Center offers abundant rainforest vegetation, from trees to flowering plants, as well as a centerpiece waterfall.

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About Joel Bartsch

Since 2004, Joel A. Bartsch has led the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) as president and CEO. In this capacity, he coordinates and leads museum staff and curators in the creation and maintenance of immersive exhibits, implements renovation strategies, and promoting museum-wide leadership. Through these efforts and many others, Joel A. Bartsch has nearly doubled both the institution’s annual attendance and membership base. He also oversaw two major expansions at the museum that added more than 250,000 square feet of space.

Mr. Bartsch began gaining experience in museum leadership more than three decades ago, when he joined the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum as a curatorial assistant and assistant to the director. He held this role during his last years as a mining engineering student at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. From there, Mr. Bartsch took on staff roles at the Texas Memorial Museum and HMNS, curator of earth sciences at Lyman House Memorial Museum in Hawaii, and director and curator of the California State Mining & Mineral Museum.

Through these positions, Joel Bartsch gained extensive experience in everything from managing daily operations and directing fundraising efforts to writing corporate grant requests. He drew on this experience when he returned to HMNS as a curator, project manager, and director of earth sciences, the positions he held immediately prior to his current role as the president and CEO.