History of the bluebird movement
by Diane
Barbin of Harrisburg, PA from the Bluebird Society of
PA
Often people point to Larry Zeleny as the one who started it all.
Although he was a highly involved in the movement, eventually founding
NABS, and an inspiration to many, there were some others who came before
him who deserve some recognition.
What follows comes from the forward of the book titled: The
Return of the Bluebird, by Andre P. Dion, it was published in
1981. The forward itself was written by Larry Zeleny. If you want more
details than I am about to give you, please get a copy of this book, as
this information is found in the introduction to this book. What follows
is only part of the history.
And now snippets from Zeleny's forward in The Return of the Bluebird:
"More than a half century ago (remember this was published in 1981)
Frank M. Chapman, on of America's leading ornithologists, predicted that
the starling, which in America was then confined to a small area within
about 100 miles of New York City, would eventually become a serious
threat to the bluebird. His prediction came true within a remarkable
short time and, because of its even more aggressive nature, the starling
became a greater threat than the House Sparrow. Bluebirds usually found
it almost impossible to nest successfully in any area where starlings
were abundant. This situation has greatly increased the bluebirds'
dependence on their human friends to supply them with starling-proof
boxes.
Thomas E. Musselman of Quincy, Illinois, is generally credited with
being the originator of a bluebird conservation movement of more than
local importance. Likewise he originated the concept of the
"bluebird trail" as well as the name itself. He began making
and experimenting with nesting boxes of his own design in 1926 and
several years later established a bluebird trail along country roads in
Adams County, Illinois. The success of this trail encouraged him to
expand his activities until his trails in the county consisted of more
than 1,000 nesting boxes. Musselman pioneered the effort to obtain
widespread public participation in the bluebird conservation partly
through an article in Bird Lore in 1934 calling for the establishment of
bluebird trails throughout the country. During his later years he
devoted much of his time to lecturing and helping others get started in
the bluebird conservation worth through personal contacts and
correspondence.
William G. Duncan of Louisville, Kentucky, like Musselman, is credited
as a major bluebird conservation pioneer. From about 1930 until
Musselman's death in 1976, the two men were in frequent communication,
exchanging notes, experiences and ideas. Duncan designed his own
bluebird nesting box, and his plans have been used widely with much
success. He operated bluebird trails consisting of hundreds of boxes,
mostly in Jefferson County, Kentucky. By means of talks and
correspondence he spread the bluebird message to thousands of people
throughout much of the country.
Duncan's interests and concern with conservation issues are broad and
deep. This led him in the 1950's to begin writing and distributing
newsletters to interested persons. His mailing list increased rapidly
and now exceeds 1,500 names. These newsletters cover a wide range of
conservation issues, but Duncan's first love was the bluebird, the
plight of which he mentions more frequently than any other subject.
Untold numbers of concerned people are now engaged in helping the
bluebirds as a result of Duncan's urging.
A highly successful bluebird trail was established by Percy Warner Park,
Nashville, Tennessee in 1936 by Amelia R. Laskey. This was continued for
many years during which time Laskey kept careful records and made
numerous observations of scientific value which are recorded in the
scientific literature. Later, with the cooperation of John S. Herbert, a
similar successful trail was established along rural roads near Ashland
City, Tennessee.
One of the most obscure yet most ambitious efforts in the history of
bluebird conservation was the development of the National Bluebird
Trail. It started with the Junior Audubon Club or Cape Girardeau,
Missouri, organized by Mrs. Oscar Findley in 1938. Under her guidance
the Club developed a successful bluebird trail locally. Soon thereafter
Mrs. Erie R. Jackson of the Better Garden Club of Kirkwood, Missouri
secured permission from the Missouri Highway Department to place nesting
boxes along Missouri highways. Her club adopted this plan as their
project early in 1942 and began developing a state-wide trail. Later
that year the trail was taken over by the State Board of Federated
Garden Clubs of Missouri and the Missouri Bluebird Trail consisting of
2,680 nesting boxes was officially dedicated. Within three years garden
clubs in 23 states from coast to coast had joined the effort and on May
9, 1945 the National Bluebird Trail was formally dedicated in
Springfield Missouri. By 1946 a total of 6,728 nesting boxes had been
erected.
In 1951 Philip J. Hummel of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, established a
small bluebird trail on his farm which, because of its success,
attracted the attention of the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology. The
society urged 4-H Clubs to establish trails in their areas as club
project. The WSO insured a bulletin entitled Bluebird Trails Guide
designed primarily for the use of 4-H Clubs.
William L. Highouse of Warren, Pennsylvania, has maintained an active
bluebird project know as "Operation Bluebird" in Warren
County, Pennsylvania since 1957. By 1974 he and some thirty others who
have helped with the project had mounted approximately 400 nesting boxes
along about 100 miles of Warren County roads. Since its inception this
project has produced roughly 14,500 Eastern Bluebirds and 6,900 Tree
Swallows."
The story history goes on and on. There were many other individuals in
other states and Canada all working on behalf of the much love Bluebird.
Now, more quoting from the book:
<snip>
"The National Association for the Protection and Propagation of
the Purple Martins and Bluebirds of America (NAPPPMBA) was organized in
1964 by M.D. Anglin, an Arkansas attorney, and Charles C. Butler, a
Kansas grocer. The organization issued monthly newsletters to its 400
members and distributed approximately at cost about 7,000 copies of
bluebird nesting box plans and instructions and 4,000 copies of my
16-page booklet Bluebirds for Posterity.
NAPPPMBA was dissolved in 1969 and its work passed into the hands of the
Griggsville Wild Bird Society (now The Nature Society) which published
Purple Martin Capital News (now Nature Society News). This paper has
published a monthly "Bluebird Trail" column for many years.
The column was written by T.E. Musselman prior to 1969, by Larry Zeleny
from 1969 to 1981, then by Ben Pinkowksi, Marcy Hoepfnar and others.
This column has created widespread interest in bluebird conservation
throughout much of the United States and Canada."
<snip>
"Instruction in bluebird conservation has been initiated in some
public school to show the children how they can become personally
involved in helping a deeply troubled species of wildlife to survive.
Richard M. Tuttle, a junior high school teacher in Delaware County, Ohio
started his own bluebird trail in 1968. Inspired by the success of this
operation he instructs his students by means of illustrated lectures and
by having the construct and mount their own nesting boxes in a proper
habitat. Some of these student the become sufficiently interested to
develop their own bluebird trails."
<snip>
"Hubert W. Prescott of Portland, Oregon has long been concerned by
the dwindling population of the Western Bluebird, particularly in the
region of Oregon's fertile Willamette Valley. In about 1969 he began a
serious study of the problem and concluded that one of the principal
troubles was that, in the development of the Valley's land for intensive
agriculture, the natural cavities needed by the bluebirds for nesting
had been mostly destroyed. In 1973 Prescott initiated bluebird trails in
three separate areas of the Willamette Valley. The project has been
generally successful and with the blessing and support of the Portland
Audubon Society has been considerably expanded.
<snip>
Jack R. Finch of Bailey, North Carolina organized the non-profit
bluebird conservation corporation "Homes for Bluebirds", Inc.
Through his organization Finch began building and setting out nesting
boxes in carefully selected locations throughout much of North and South
Carolina until eventually more than 2,000 boxes had been placed in more
than 70 locations. These included nesting boxes of several different
original designs, most of which have been proved to be successful. Large
increases in the bluebird population appear to have occurred in many of
the areas where his boxes are located.
One of the most encouraging trends in the bluebird conservation movement
is the gradual involvement of big industry. Perhaps the outstanding
example of such involvement is that of the Bowater Carolina Company of
Catawba, South Carolina. This is one of the worldwide family of
companies involved in lumbering and in the production of wood pulp,
paper, and other forest products. In 1975 Bowater began its
participation in the bluebird cause by producing well-made nesting boxes
and giving them with complete instructions to persons requesting them in
the Carolinas and adjoining states who would agree to make proper use of
them and report their results annually. More than 3,000 nesting boxes
have been distributed under this program and the results have been
highly encouraging.
<snip>
Utility companies in several areas have joined the bluebird conservation
movement by permitting the placing of nesting boxes on their properties
or by actually establishing bluebird trails. Both the Pennsylvania Power
and Light Company and the Philadelphia Electric Company have established
trails on their properties in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Robert M.
Schustsky not only operates the trail on the property of the
Philadelphia Electric Company, but conducts one-day bluebird workshops
several times a year for all interested persons.
<snip>
By early 1978 interest in the plight of the bluebird had reached a high
level largely as a result of the long series of "Bluebird
Trail" columns in Nature Society News, publication of the book The
Bluebird--How You can Help Its Fight for Survival, by Larry Zeleny,
an article on bluebird in National Geographic, and numerous other
magazine and newspaper articles n the subject. As a result a small group
of experienced bluebirders got together in the Washington, D.C. area to
consider the possibility of a continent-wide organization to promote the
cause of bluebird conservation. Accordingly the North American Bluebird
Society was incorporated as a non-profit tax-exempt organization in
1978. Its founding board of directors included persons from geographic
regions in which are found each of the three bluebird species. The
Society has since functioned as a principal agency in promoting bluebird
conservation. Among its activities is the publication of the
well-received quarterly journal, Sialia."
This article originally was an email posted on 3/7/00
on the mailing list Bluebird-L by Diane and with her permission I have
adapted it for this format
10/02/02
