A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not
given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children. -John James
Audubon
Slide 4
Significance -One of the first American conservationists
-Brought many new fieldwork techniques for studying wildlife to the
New World that have lasted for a century and a half -Contributed
greatly to the Romantic era
Slide 5
Audubon the Innovator He revolutionized and improved many
techniques for studying wildlife including: Bird-banding -First
person to use the process in America -Monitored Eastern Phoebes and
discovered that they return to the same nesting sites year after
year -Still used today Realistic observations -Determined to
document birds as theyd rarely been seen before -Taxidermist Field
guides -Set a model for modern day field guides Audubon recorded
many species that are now extinct, including these Carolina
Parakeet
Slide 6
Birds of America Most popular of his works First published in
England 39x26 inches Included hand colored, life size prints made
from engraved plates The cost of printing the complete works was
$115,640, over two million dollars today If a subscriber would have
bought the complete works, it would have been over $1000 In 2010, a
complete 1 st edition went for over $11 million in London
Slide 7
Audubon the Romanticist His work is a great example of the
new-found love of and respect for nature in the American and
European Romantic eras. He would not have been as popular without
this support from both continents. Like much of the artwork and
literature of the time, his paintings emphasized the beauty of
nature.
Slide 8
A brief history: In the early decades of the 19 th century,
Audubon succeeded in business After economic failure, he took up
his hobby of painting and observing birds Traveled down the
Mississippi living off the land and drawing & documenting birds
His first (partly finished) collection, The American Woodsman, was
a huge success in Europe With the money from it, he was able to
publish Birds of America, his most famous work People in America
and Europe loved his paintings because of their Romantic
spirit
Slide 9
Audubon the Conservationist Audubon inspired some of the
earliest American conservation movements, the effects of which can
still be seen today.
Slide 10
The Audubon Society Founded by George Bird Grinnell, who was
tutored by Audubons wife Lucy Organization that works to protect
birds and their habitat Grinnell was inspired by the work of
Audubon, and named the organization after him The name Audubon
today remains synonymous with birds and bird conservation all over
the world
Slide 11
Without the work of John James Audubon at the forefront of the
American Romantic era, the conservationist and bird-watching
communities would not be as developed as they are today.
Slide 12
Works cited Information: Rhodes, Richard. John James Audubon:
The Making of an American. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
"John James Audubon." Audubon.org. National Audubon Society, 2014.
Web. 20 Jan. 2014. "Five Fascinating Facts About John James
Audubon." Birdsandblooms.org. Birds & Blooms, 15 Jan. 2012.
Web. 20 Jan. 2014. Pictures: "John James Audubon." Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2014 "Five
Fascinating Facts About John James Audubon." Birdsandblooms.org.
Birds & Blooms, 15 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. "The Birds of
America." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Dec. 2013. Web. 20
Jan. 2014 Dobbs, Kerri. "Audubon and the Great Egret, a Legacy of
Wildlife Conservation." Blue Ocean Institutes Next Wave in the
Peconic Estuary. N.p., 2 July 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2014