Florence Merriam Bailey (1863 – 1948)

How big and simple Nature is in all her processes!  How microscopic man becomes viewed in the perspective of the orderly march of the universe!  

Florence Merriam Bailey was one of the first nationally recognized female ornithologists of her time and dedicated her life to educating the public about the vitality and protection of birds. As a student, she penned the first of many articles arguing against the fashionable use of bird feathers and wings as adornment.  At age 26, she published her first book, Birds through an Opera-Glass, which was widely regarded as the first modern traditional bird guide.  She co-organized early Audubon Society chapters and became the first female associate of the American Ornithologists Union.  Her tireless role in advocating against the systematic devastation of seabirds and wading birds led in part to the congressional authorization of the Lacey Act of 1900.  Bailey wrote over 100 articles for several ornithological journals and 10 books, including Birds of New Mexico–for which she was honored with the Brewster Medal.    With her husband, Vernon Bailey, a U.S. Biological Survey naturalist, she traveled extensively throughout the American West to explore little-known flora and fauna.  Bailey’s unwavering love of nature and remarkable powers of observation, combined with a talent for illustrative writing and a high reverence for science, inspired others to discover the diversity and value of living birds.  

The plaque was created by SUTL Cohort 27.

Photo Credit: Vernon Bailey Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming