Edward William Nelson (May 8, 1855 – May 19, 1934) was an American
naturalist and ethnologist.

- This is an edited version of text from
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Edward-William-Nelson

In 1877 Nelson joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Spencer Fullerton Baird was
responsible for selecting Signal Officers for the remoter stations and would
choose men with scientific training who were prepared to study the local flora
and fauna. Baird sent Nelson to St. Michael, Alaska.

Nelson was the naturalist on board the USRC Corwin, which sailed to Wrangel
Island in search of the USS Jeanette in 1881. Nelson published his findings in the
Report upon Natural History Collections Made in Alaska between the Years
1877-1881 (1887). He also published his ethnological findings in The Eskimo
about Bering Strait (1900).

In 1890 Nelson accepted an appointment as a Special Field Agent with the Death
Valley Expedition under Clinton Hart Merriam, Chief of the Division of
Ornithology and Mammalogy, United States Department of Agriculture. After
this expedition he was ordered to conduct a field survey in Mexico, and Nelson
remained in the country for the next fourteen years. Nelson continued to work
for the Bureau of Biological Survey until 1929, being Chief of the Bureau from
1916 to 1927.

The Passenger Pigeon (extinct)

For information about the now extinct Passenger Pigeon and other extinct bird
species, visit http://www.audubon.org/bird/BoA/BOA_index.html
and click on the relevant link

National Audubon Society

- This is an edited version of text from
http://www.audubon.org/campaign/index.html

For over a century, Audubon has been a leading voice encouraging conservation
of precious habitat and wildlife for future generations. Audubon’s earliest noted success
came in 1900, when members urged the American Congress to pass legislation
making interstate trafficking of illegally killed birds and animals a crime, while
prohibiting the importation of non-native and potentially invasive species. Today’s
environmental challenges are far more profound, and Audubon’s collective voice is
more essential than ever.

In the recent past, the American Congress had increasingly focused on rolling back
environmental protections, often at the behest of special interest and industry groups.
This has been especially true on key issues, such as protecting the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, and retaining legal protections for threatened and endangered
species. Many expect new leadership in the White House in 2009 to bring much-
needed change that will reverse this defensive trend. Audubon is meeting our most
pressing environmental challenges by supporting positive energy solutions that
reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, lessen the harmful effects of global warming,
and protect wildlife and special places from harmful energy extraction.

John James Audubon’s Birds of America

This is a photograph of a first-edition copy of Audubon’s seminal Birds of America housed at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles.
http://www.huntington.org/