2. John James Audubon 1785-1851 By Matt Darok

3. “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

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

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 they’d 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

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

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.

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

9. Audubon the Conservationist… Audubon inspired some of the earliest American conservation movements, the effects of which can still be seen today.

10. The Audubon Society Founded by George Bird Grinnell, who was tutored by Audubon’s 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

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.

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