RTPI Staff Blog

On August 26th we celebrated the opening of a fantastic exhibit featuring the art of Cincinnati artist Charley Harper (1922-2007).  Son Brett Harper kicked off the show with a great illustrated lecture about his parents, Charles & Edie Harper, and the life's work of his father.  The show runs through December 30th at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY http://www.rtpi.org.

 

Comment (0)

 

 

 

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, of Jamestown, NY, held its 25th Anniversary Wine & Dine Benefit event on Wednesday evening, July 21st. The event honored long-time Jamestown area philanthropists Quint & Sandy Anderson for their leadership, service, and support of the Peterson Institute since its founding in 1985. The fundraiser featured food and wines along with live music, a silent auction, and the opening of the exhibit Mary Taylor Sculpture: Nature from Steel and Bronze.

 

 

RTPI board, staff and community volunteers organized and staffed the event for the capacity crowd of 200 attendees. Title Sponsor Wegmans of Jamestown provided the food, and Chef Cesca Wellman, of the Hess Collection Winery in Napa Valley, California, contributed the planning, preparation and serving of the food and wine. Without their help the Benefit would not have been possible. A silent auction was held that included items such as a Robert Bateman fine art print and an authentic Navajo crafted sterling silver concha belt. Auction packages include a birding trip to Lake Erie along with dinner for four with RTPI President Jim Berry, a weekend getaway to historic Elkdale Farm in southeastern PA, home of Roger Tory Peterson’s son Lee and his wife, Courtney, and more.

 

 

 

 

 

The Benefit raised approximately $13,000 in support of RTPI’s mission, which is to continue the legacy of Roger Tory Peterson by promoting the teaching and

study of nature, and to thereby create knowledge of, and appreciation and responsibility for the natural world.

The benefit included a meet-and-greet opportunity with sculptor Mary Taylor, of Honeoye Falls, NY. Taylor is an elected member of the Society of Animal Artists. Taylor’s work will be featured at the Institute from July 17 – August 19 in an exhibition called Mary Taylor Sculpture: Nature from Steel and Bronze. Visit the Institute’s website at www.rtpi.org for more information about upcoming events and programs events. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is located at 311 Curtis Street in Jamestown, NY.http://www.rtpi.org

Comment (0)

Liz Rosenthal authored a terrific biography of Roger Tory Peterson that was first published in 2008 during the Peterson's Centennial year celebration.  It is being republished in paperback and will hut the store shelves in March, 2010.  Naturalst and Peterson colleague George Harrison said the book is... "Brilliant, a definitive biography."

Comment (0)

Guitarist and singer Dan Vogan performed at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute Open House on Saturday December 5, 2009.  Our visitors enjoyed Dan's style of contemporary and classic popular music while they took-in the Mapping the Birds of New York exhibit on display throughout the building.

 

 

Dan & Barb Vogan are active members and volunteers of RTPI and  are known for their enthusiastic support of several of our area nonprofit organizations.  Thanks Dan & Barb from all the staff and volunteers of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute!

 

 

 

 

 

Comment (0)

Roger Tory Peterson studio in Old Lyme will become 'extinct' if it's not preserved

By Jenna Cho

The Day

New London, CT

Published 11/21/2009

 

Old Lyme - Roger Tory Peterson was a giant in his field, and his name resonates to this day as someone who revolutionized the world of birding.

There's the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Peterson's hometown of Jamestown, N.Y. The penguin exhibit at the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration is named after the late ornithologist, naturalist and artist. And in Old Lyme, the state designated Great Island as the Roger Tory Peterson Wildlife Area.

Comment (0)

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History of Jamestown, New York is pleased to announce the receipt of a $1,000 contribution made possible by the 800 birding and nature enthusiasts who took part in the Midwest Birding Symposium (MBS) from September 17-20, 2009 in Lakeside, Ohio.

Bill Thompson III, MBS Coordinator said, "The Ohio Ornithological Society, Birdwatcher's Digest, and the community of Lakeside made this donation on behalf of the 2009 Midwest Birding Symposium in recognition of the Peterson Institute's excellent work to "teach the teachers" in carrying on Roger Tory Peterson's mission for enlightening people about birds and nature."

In addition to having a great time, the symposium's attendees were also generous-helping to raise $5,000 in donations for conservation.  This $5,000 was matched through a generous contribution to the MBS from the Ohio Ornithological Society's conservation fund.

The donation will be used to fund RTPI's nationwide effort to give teachers the training and resources they're looking for when it comes to teaching their students about nature and the environment

 

 

 

Comment (0)

Nancy Keeler, RTPI Director of Development and Jim Berry, President visited the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation Open House on November 12 and had the pleasure of speaking about RTPI's programs with Jim Roselli of WJTN of Jamestown, New York.

Comment (0)

The National Outdoor Book Awards were recently announced and the new edition of Peterson's classic field guide, the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America won the Nature Guidebook Category.  The book conveniently combines his eastern and western guidebooks into one volume.

The winners of this annual award program represent some of the finest outdoor writing and artwork being published today.  The awards program is sponsored by the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, Idaho State University and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education.

Awards are given in ten individual categories.

Complete reviews of these and the other 2009 winners may be found at the National Outdoor Book Award Web site at:  www.noba-web.org.

Here is a list of winners. 

Comment (0)

This eight-week course will focus on the lakes of Chautauqua County with emphasis on Chautauqua Lake and will give participants an introduction to lakes and their problems, an overview of aquatic organisms and their ecological relationships, as well as a guide for living with the lakes and their watersheds. Participants can attend individual modules or attend the series. Participants who sign up for the series will receive a textbook which is included in the cost. Classes meet on Wednesdays from 6-9 p.m. beginning March 3^rd and running through April 28^th 2010. If you'd like to learn more about the series, join us for a free overview session on February 17^th from 7-9 p.m. This series is a collaborative effort by: the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission, the Jamestown Audubon Society, JCC's Center for Continuing Education, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. For more information or for a brochure, please contact JCC's Center for Continuing Education at: (716) 338-1005 or via e-mail: continuingeducation@mail.sunyjcc.edu.

Comment (0)

Pam Rasmussen

 

Pam gave a terrific presentation to members and friends of the Roger Tory Peterson institute on Wednesday October 28, 2009.  She told the story of her 10-year project of totally revising the Birds of South Asia: Ripley Guide that became a totally new work.  Pam attempted to document all the underling records that constituted earlier checklists of the region and found 88 species previously taken as fact to breed there were not valid.  Factors such as misidentification, lumped or split species issues and fraud were uncovered.  Pam also documented another 86 species not previously included and added 1  species thought to be extinct.  Pam herself rediscoverd Athene blewitti, the Forest Owlet.

Comment (0)