Today, August 28, is the 100th anniversary of Roger Tory Peterson’s birth. He was a writer, painter, photographer, conservationist, speaker, and probably many other things. But he will always be known primarily for his field guide to birds. Innovative and groundbreaking, it was worthy of the honor bestowed upon it. Peterson’s legacy is forever intertwined with his field guide, but not necessarily with the book itself. Instead, it has more to do with the effect the guide has had. Peterson provided a greater intimacy with nature, and the more people know nature, the more they love it.
Jared Mizanin, the winner of the new Peterson guide, gives this example of Peterson’s legacy:
I still remember, some twenty-plus years ago, when I visited a local bookstore with my mother at the age of six. As any mother would, she encouraged me to have an interest in books, and would buy me any title that caught my interest if it meant “reading and cranial stimulation.” Browsing through the aisles, I found myself in the natural history section, and although I don’t remember all details, I do know I pulled from the shelf a Peterson First Guides to Birds covering 188 common and widespread species. Not surprisingly for a child of my age, it was the beautiful color illustrations painted by Roger Tory Peterson that really caught my eye. I recognized a few of the birds in the guide, but most were very much unfamiliar. Instantly I “had” to have this book, to gawk at the colorful birds and learn their names. Mother gladly obliged.
I really feel this was a crucial point in my life. My interest in birds and other wildlife grew wildly, and this newfound appreciate in nature resulted in frequent trips to the library with my parents to check out various guides to wildlife, mostly birds. Had I not been awed by Peterson’s First Guide in the first place, would I have ever truly enjoyed reading at an age where learning is so vital? Instead of faring well in elementary school, would I have followed a family tradition of remedial reading classes? Probably not, as my parents did very well in treating education as a priority, but nonetheless Peterson played an important role in getting me to read voluntarily at such a young age.
Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I hadn’t pulled out that Peterson guide all those years back. Some may think this to be far-fetched, but it’s not! Had I developed an interest in something else, I’d be a completely different person. Throughout my life I’ve been known as “the bird-boy” or “birdman” and have enjoyed phone calls and inquiries from others with questions concerning their feeder birds or whatnot. Among my proudest moments was discovering a state first Common Ground-Dove here in Ohio, which certainly wouldn’t have been accomplished if I’d have reached for a Freight Train book instead!
I should add that it wasn’t this guide only that has impacted my life. Back in 1995, our family enjoyed a week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Another life-changing moment occurred here, and again Peterson had much to do with it. We visited another bookshop, and I instantly headed for the aisles on wildlife. I perused a few guides to birds, but then something else caught my eye: Peterson Field Guides: Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America. I opened this guide, viewed the wonderful color plates, amazingly-detailed text descriptions, and large and wonderfully produced distribution maps. Again, same initial impression as I had years before: “My God, all these interesting reptiles and amphibians…and I know so little about them. I must have this field guide!” Haha…I clearly remember my parents having to rip the book away from me in our hotel bedroom so I would eat dinner. Okay…so maybe “stuffing my face as quickly as possible to clear my plate so I could get back to reading” is a little more accurate! But the point is that Peterson again played a part in redirecting my interests, this time widening my interests, which nowadays includes mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, wildflowers, and more. Not surprisingly, I have at least one Peterson guide to each of these categories.
I cannot say that I’ve chosen a career in the park systems or biology labs…yet. But it certainly is no stretch to say Peterson has had the greatest impact on my life for anybody I haven’t even met in person. Just before I found this “Win a Peterson Guide” contest, I was editing wildlife photos and searching for new lenses for my camera equipment. Would I be interested in photography if I wasn’t also enamored by wildlife? I doubt it. Thus, would I have enjoyed photographing for a regional guide to local reptiles and amphibians (that I’m pretty proud of, too!)? No. Heck…all day I’ve been designing new snake study spots (placing out tin and wooden boards to attract local snakes to survey which species occur and how commonly)…and this activity obviously has its roots in Peterson himself. Without Peterson, I wouldn’t be the Jared Ray Mizanin we know today!
Happy birthday, Roger, your legacy is alive and well.
Posted by Grant McCreary on August 28th, 2008.
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