[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1526-E1527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ROGER TORY PETERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2008

  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of Roger 
Tory Peterson (1908-1996) and the centennial celebration that will be 
held at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY from August 
2008--August 2009.
   Roger Tory Peterson was America's most prominent ornithologist and 
bird artist in the 20th century. Many people have regarded him as being 
a modern day John James Audubon who introduced millions of people to 
the joys of bird watching.
   Not only was Peterson a world renowned ornithologist, but also 
photographer, film maker, writer and lecturer as well. Additionally to 
his credit, his Field Guide to the Birds has sold five million copies 
in five editions since 1934, and was selected by the New York Public 
Library as one of the 100 most important books of the 20th century. 
This book was so successful that it led to an entire series of Peterson 
Field Guides to be developed. Peterson released 50 titles covering 
practically every aspect of the natural world. This launched a career 
that made him the most prominent and honored naturalist of our time.
   For 60 years Peterson wrote and spoke about, illustrated, filmed and 
photographed the natural world. His articles, photographs and 
illustrations appeared not only in widely known magazines such as Life 
and National Geographic but also in a variety of other popular 
magazines. This allowed the public to become aware and appreciate 
nature through his work.
  Peterson worked tirelessly in defense of the natural world. He was 
very outspoken and as a result he helped see through the passage of 
crucial environmental legislation such as the National Environmental 
Policy Act and the ban on DDT. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom in 1980 and was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, 
received 23 Honorary Doctorates and scores of other honors including 
the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing, the Conservation Medal of 
the National Audubon Society, Conservation

[[Page E1527]]

Achievement Award of the National Wildlife Federation, the Smithsonian 
Institution's James Smithson Medal, World Wildlife Fund Gold Medal, 
Linnaeus Gold Medal from the Swedish Academy of Sciences, and was 
inducted into the United States Conservation Hall of Fame, all for his 
work on behalf of the natural world.
   Founded in 1985, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural 
History, located in Peterson's hometown of Jamestown, NY is an 
educational institution charged with preserving Peterson's lifetime 
body of work and making it available to the world for educational 
purposes. Housed in its archives are thousands of items ranging from 
paintings, original graphic art renderings, photographs, films, 
manuscripts and correspondence that tell the story of Peterson's 
career.
   The Roger Tory Peterson Institute plays host to visitors from around 
the world that come to view these treasures. Yet, because Peterson 
educated, entertained and enriched the lives of people everywhere, 
these deserve greater and more widespread exposure through exhibition 
at museums and the other cultural venues nationwide.
   Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing the enduring 
Peterson who continues to enable millions of people to come to know and 
appreciate the value of nature and recognize the wellbeing of people 
and the natural world are one and the same. This deep, profound legacy 
deserves to be celebrated on the 100th anniversary of his birth, and is 
the reason why it is appropriate and necessary to celebrate Peterson's 
lifework and legacy.

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