Description
Authored by Carole A and William L Finley III
The Finleys were one of America’s great, early twentieth-century environmental protectionists and conservationists. This book chronicles the professional work of William Lovell Finley and his wife and lifelong partner, Irene, as well as Finley’s partnership with fellow conservationist, Herman Bohlman. It is a factual story of their risky adventures, interwoven with personal anecdotes and humor, drawn from historical accounts and their own notebooks and photographs.
Well–known naturalists, ornithologists, and presidents of the United States all praised their work. Their photographs and documentation of devastation by the plume hunters convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to issue executive orders that established The Three Arch Rocks and Lower Klamath and Lake Malheur Federal Bird Reservations in 1907 and 1908, respectively.
The Finleys lived in Jennings Lodges, Oregon, and from 1911 through 1919, William Finley served as Oregon’s first state game warden and biologist. Irene assisted William in promoting wildlife conservation through their travels, articles, photography, books, and lectures. The Finleys touched the lives of thousands and thousands of individuals in the United States and abroad. The issues they encountered throughout their lives are just as prevalent today as they were then.
- Seahill Press
The book provides a wonderful synopsis of the development and growth of the conservation movement in Oregon and across the nation. It chronicles the Finley’s vision of wildlife conservation and how they used public education to advance conservation at the local and national level. The book dives into the establishment of the Audubon Society in Oregon and the rise of national conservation groups focused on the preservation of natural world. It also chronicles the development of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and early efforts to preserve salmon runs in the Columbia River system.
Carla D Burnside
Cultural Resources Inventory, Monitoring and Protection Program Coordinator
