Rosemary Low, a British author, lifelong parrot enthusiast, and conservationist, recently published a terrific book that shines a light on women bird conservationists.
The book profiles more than 30 inspirational female heroes, past and present. Their stories and those of the birds they saved will touch your heart. Female Heroes of Bird Conservation, which is available in North America from Buteo Books, encourages women to make their own contributions to saving birds from extinction. It also covers social issues such as discrimination against women working in the field.
Low, an avian expert in her own right, beautifully pulls together the stories, challenges, and remarkable achievements of an intriguing range of women. The book is well researched and highly readable, and readers can open it at any chapter and be inspired by what can be done, usually initially with limited financial resources and without the backup of major organizations.
Women profiled in the book include:
- Althea Sherman, a self-taught ornithologist from Iowa who was the first to study the life cycle of the Chimney Swift.
- Emílie Snethlage, a German-born ornithologist who studied and described many birds of Brazil.
- Margaret Morse Nice, who produced a detailed study of the Song Sparrow.
- Rachel Carson, the famed author of Silent Spring who alerted the world to the environmental problems of manmade chemicals.
- Lorin Lindner, who works to help war veterans by connecting them with mistreated parrots.
- Neiva Guedes, who works in Brazil to protect Hyacinth Macaws.
- Sarah Otterstrom, the founder and executive director of Paso Pacifico, which works to restore and protect the endangered dry tropical forest and coastal ecosystems of Mesoamerica’s Pacific Slope.
Pick up a copy of Low’s book to learn about these and other inspiring women bird conservationists.
Lorrie Otto and the fight to ban DDT
