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| Beginnings
of the Society |
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In 1878, a
group of amateur naturalists (including H.P. Bailey, E.P. Bicknell,
Ernest Ingersoll, C. Hart Merriam and John Burroughs) met to organize a
natural history society. They named the society after the famed 18th C.
Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). For over 100 years, the
Society has served interested amateurs and professional scientists
alike.
The
logo of the Society depicts a peregrine falcon perched atop a city
tower and was designed for the Society by Richard Edes
Harrison, cartographer and amateur ornithologist.
City buildings resemble the native cliff habitat of the
peregrine and today there are a number of nesting pairs throughout the
city. |
| The Society today |
Today, our
members are a group of diverse people who like to observe and learn
about birds, plants, animals and marine life of the Northeast. Our
public lectures, meetings and membership are open to persons with an
active interest in ornithology, natural science and conservation. The
Society's programs and field trips offer opportunities for learning and
enjoyment.
The Society regularly publishes a News-Letter,
containing articles, trip reports, book reviews, announcements and
other items of interest. The Proceedings, published occasionally,
contains longer articles and notes. Lengthy papers are published at
longer intervals in the Transactions.
Regular meetings are held
on the second and fourth Tuesday from September through May at 7:30
p.m. During the Summer, the Society may hold informal meetings
(on the third Tuesday of June, July or August at 7:30 p.m.); as Summer
meetings are scheduled they will be announced. All meetings (other than
the
Annual Dinner and Meeting, in March) are held at the American Museum of
Natural History, located at Central Park West and 79th St., unless
otherwise announced.
The
Society has been organized as an
unincorporated not-for-profit
association and
donations to the Society qualify, as permitted by law, as charitable
contributions under the Federal tax code. |
| Funds
and Awards |
The Society
maintains special funds, such as the Charles A. Urner Memorial Fund
for the promotion of field ornithology in New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, the Great
Gull Island Fund, for the support of research on Great
Gull Island (joinly with the American Museum of Natural History), and
the Revolving
Publications Fund for support of the Society's
publications.
The
Society occasionally grants awards, including the Eisenmann Medal, and
appoints Honorary Members, Benefactors and Fellows.
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| Eugene Eisenmann and the Eisenmann Medal |
| Eugene
Eisenmann was a model member of the Linnaean Society of New York -- a
lawyer by profession, he was an avid amateur ornithologist who became
one of the most influential figures in mid-century American
ornithology. He was editor of The Auk in 1958-59, vice president of the
American Ornithologists’ Union in 1967-69, and chairman of the AOU’s
Check-list Committee preparing the sixth edition from 1966 until his
death in 1981. During 1947-49 Eisenmann served as President of
The Linnaean Society of New York and later he was elected a
Fellow. He published more than 150 ornithology papers. His
important The Species of Middle American Birds appeared as Volume VII
of the Society’s Transactions.
John Bull and Dean Amadon described Eisenmann in a notice in The Auk in early 1983:
Gregarious
by nature, Eugene soon [after his retirement from the practice of law in 1956]
became prominent in The Linnaean Society of New York and, later, its President
. . . . In those days, Ernst Mayr, Joseph Hickey, and others were injecting a
strong dose of scientific vitality into the meetings of the Society. Gene needed little encouragement to follow
such leads, and began to spend more time at the American Museum. Because of his increasing involvement in
ornithological circles and his publications, Gene was appointed a Research
Associate of the Museum in 1957, a position he held until his death.
François
Vuilleumier, a colleague at the museum, wrote that “extraordinary
generosity with his knowledge and time was one of Gene’s most
remarkable traits.” Reviewing Neotropical Ornithology, prepared
as a memorial to Eisenmann, Robert Raikow said that his influence in
ornithology was far wider than indicated by his published works, “as he
was a friend and advisor to many students, established scientists, and
organizations.” Eisenmann’s office at the museum became a center
for students, scientists, and others interested in birds; he was never
too busy to see them and he carried on a large correspondence with
ornithologists, both amateur and professional.
After Eisenmann’s
death, the Society established the Eisenmann Medal, awarded
occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the
amateur. Our past Eisenmann medalists are:
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Ernest Mayr 1983
Joseph J. Hickey
1984
Olin S. Pettingill
1985
Roger Tory Peterson
1986
Chandler S. Robbins
1987
Frank B. Gill 1988
Helen Hays 1989
C. Stuart Houston
1990
David P. Wingate
1991
G. Stuart Keith
1993
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Guy Tudor 1995
Dean Amadon 1998
Robert S. Ridgeley 2001
William S. Clark 2002
F. Gary Stiles 2003
David J.T. Hussell &
Erica H. Dunn 2004
John W. Fitzpatrick 2005
David A. Sibley 2006
Malcolm C. Coulter 2008
Kenneth V. Rosenberg 2009.
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