Update on RTPI’s Winter Phone Cell Tour
For some, snow is simply a burden. But for myself (and I’m sure there are others!), snow brings a positive change in attitude. Hearing Christmas music for a month straight doesn’t necessarily put me in a celebratory mood, but a blanket of snow illuminated by colorful lights and accompanied by a quiet stillness that seems to intensify as every flake descends really gets me into the holiday spirit. Along these lines, snow also gets me excited for outdoor recreation opportunities and for being able to enjoy the landscape with a completely different view. It also draws countless...
Read MoreSafeguarding RTPI’s Unique and Irreplaceable Collections
Documentary Heritage & Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY) is a statewide program of the New York State Archives and New York State Library which provides free planning and education services to archives, libraries, museums, and other institutions that safeguard and ensure access to New York’s historical records and unique research materials. Preparation for an emergency or disaster is one of the most important steps a cultural institution can take to safeguard collections. RTPI is the only official institutional steward of the life works of Roger Tory Peterson. We maintain,...
Read MoreSwedes of Jamestown
This photo from the RTPI archives depicts Roger Tory Peterson and Sir Lorimer Moe (knighted by the Swedish government on behalf of King Carl Gustaf XVI) at Bass Rock in Scotland. Lorimer Moe was a son of Jamestown, New York, who went on to become an outstanding newspaperman and diplomat. In the early days when RTPI was just an idea, Lorimer, Roger’s high school classmate, took the lead in enlisting broad support for the idea of an Institute in Roger’s birthplace, to honor his work and house his collections. In fact, the Institute’s charter was signed in his home, on a dining table that...
Read MoreMapping Global Temperature Changes
This is a sobering graphic via the Twitter feed of Ed Hawkins (https://twitter.com/ed_hawkins), Climate scientist at the University of Reading. He said, “When considering changes in global temperature, it’s always important to look at the big picture, rather than obsess over short-term effects” which is why something like the cold and snowy days in the winter are not an indicator of how the planet is feeling. Our lives encompass a very small span of time compared to that of the Earth itself, and we often do not have an appropriate sense of the environmental and climate...
Read MoreNoble Proctor BioBlitz Challenge at Hammonasset Tomorrow
Noble Proctor BioBlitz Challenge at Hammonasset on May 14, 2016 Please join family, friends, colleagues and students for a celebration of Noble Proctor’s life in the form of a BioBlitz Challenge at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Connecticut on Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 8AM to sunset. Our headquarters for the BioBlitz will be at the pavilion near Willard’s Island. A BioBlitz is a race to find every species of life possible – birds, mammals, plants, insects, and more. We will form teams to search the park and record all the species we can discover. At 1:00 PM, we will come together...
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