George Melendez Wright
Encyclopedia
George Melendez Wright was an American
biologist
who conducted the first scientific survey of fauna for the National Park Service
. He was born in San Francisco, California
. Wright's Salvadoran
mother Mercedes Melendez Wright was born in San Salvador
, and was from one of El Salvador
's most prominent dynasties, died in 1906. His father was a sea-captain John Tennant Wright, a native New Yorker, died in
1912. (portrait) both died when he was a child, leaving him in the care of a great aunt Cordelia Ward Wright, who encouraged his fascination with the natural world and interest in science. He went on to study forestry
and vertebrate zoology
at the University of California, Berkeley
.
In 1927, Wright joined the staff of Yosemite National Park
as assistant park naturalist. At the time, Park Service staff routinely killed predators and encouraged the public to feed bears and other animals. In 1929, he began conducting a 4-year wildlife survey program for national parks that he funded himself. The results were published in 1932 and 1933 in the series Fauna of the National Parks of the United States. The survey and reports established science as the basis for wildlife conservation in American national parks.
Wright died in an automobile accident at the age of 31, while serving on a commission establishing new parks along the Mexican border. The George Wright Society
is named in his honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
who conducted the first scientific survey of fauna for the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. He was born in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Wright's Salvadoran
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
mother Mercedes Melendez Wright was born in San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
, and was from one of El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
's most prominent dynasties, died in 1906. His father was a sea-captain John Tennant Wright, a native New Yorker, died in
1912. (portrait) both died when he was a child, leaving him in the care of a great aunt Cordelia Ward Wright, who encouraged his fascination with the natural world and interest in science. He went on to study forestry
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Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
and vertebrate zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
In 1927, Wright joined the staff of Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
as assistant park naturalist. At the time, Park Service staff routinely killed predators and encouraged the public to feed bears and other animals. In 1929, he began conducting a 4-year wildlife survey program for national parks that he funded himself. The results were published in 1932 and 1933 in the series Fauna of the National Parks of the United States. The survey and reports established science as the basis for wildlife conservation in American national parks.
Wright died in an automobile accident at the age of 31, while serving on a commission establishing new parks along the Mexican border. The George Wright Society
George Wright Society
The George Wright Society is a nonprofit association of researchers, managers, administrators, educators, and other professionals who work in, or on behalf of, parks, protected areas, and cultural/historic sites...
is named in his honor.
External links
- Fauna of the National Parks of the United States:
- Preliminary Survey of Faunal Relations in National Parks (1932)
- Wildlife Management in the National Parks (1933)
- Portrait of George Melendez Wright circa 1930 (Historic Photograph Collection, Harpers Ferry Center)
- The George Wright Society
