Robert Michael Pyle
Encyclopedia
Robert Michael Pyle is a lepidopterist
and author who has published twelve books and hundreds of papers, essays, stories and poems. He has a Ph.D.
from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University
. He founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in 1974. His 1987 book Wintergreen
describes the devastation caused by unrestrained logging in Washington's Willapa Hills
near his adopted home. His 1995 book Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide was the subject of a Guggenheim Fellowship
. His other books include Sky Time in Grays River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place, and The Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year. In September of 2010 he published Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year, chronicling his adventures across the continent in 2008 to view and document as many of the native butterflies as possible (similar to the birder's big year).
Pyle lives in Grays River, Washington
.
Lepidopterist
A lepidopterist is a person who specialises in the study of Lepidoptera, members of an order encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
and author who has published twelve books and hundreds of papers, essays, stories and poems. He has a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in 1974. His 1987 book Wintergreen
Wintergreen (book)
Wintergreen, written in 1987, is a book by Robert Michael Pyle. It describes the devastation caused by unrestrained logging in Washington's Willapa Hills. It was also the winner of the John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing....
describes the devastation caused by unrestrained logging in Washington's Willapa Hills
Willapa Hills
The Willapa Hills is a geologic, physiographic, and geographic region in southwest Washington. When described as a physiographical province, the Willapa Hills are bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Columbia River to the south, the Olympic Mountains to the north, and the Cascade Range to...
near his adopted home. His 1995 book Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide was the subject of a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. His other books include Sky Time in Grays River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place, and The Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year. In September of 2010 he published Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year, chronicling his adventures across the continent in 2008 to view and document as many of the native butterflies as possible (similar to the birder's big year).
Pyle lives in Grays River, Washington
Grays River, Washington
Grays River is an unincorporated rural village in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States.Grays River stands on the north bank of the lower Grays River, which flows into the Columbia River estuary. The National Register of Historic Places-listed Grays River Covered Bridge crosses the Grays...
.
Awards and honors
- 2011: Washington State Book AwardWashington State Book AwardThe Washington State Book Awards are presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year.This literary awards program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. The program was based at the Washington State Library in Olympia...
in the Biography/Memoir category, The Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year - 2008: Washington State Book AwardWashington State Book AwardThe Washington State Book Awards are presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year.This literary awards program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. The program was based at the Washington State Library in Olympia...
for General Nonfiction, Sky Time in Grays River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place - 2007: National Outdoor Book AwardNational Outdoor Book AwardThe National Outdoor Book Award was formed in 1997 as a US-based non-profit program which each year honors the best in outdoor writing and publishing. It is housed at Idaho State University and chaired by Ron Watters. Awards are presented in ten categories. The award is announced in early November...
(Natural History Literature category), Sky Time in Gray's River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place - 1995: Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide - 1987: John BurroughsJohn BurroughsJohn Burroughs was an American naturalist and essayist important in the evolution of the U.S. conservation movement. According to biographers at the American Memory project at the Library of Congress,...
Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing, WintergreenWintergreen (book)Wintergreen, written in 1987, is a book by Robert Michael Pyle. It describes the devastation caused by unrestrained logging in Washington's Willapa Hills. It was also the winner of the John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing....
Secondary sources
- Kuhlken, Robert. 2002. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 275, Twentieth-Century American Nature Writers: Prose, pp. 261-270. Detroit: Gale.
- Slovic, Scott. 2000. Pyle, Walking the High Ridge: Life as a Field Trip, pp. 119-146. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions.
Other contributions
- Wild in the City (2000). Oregon Historical Society. (Introduction, "No vacancy," and chapter, "Bright Butterflies, Big City.")
- Nature's Fading Chorus: Classic and Contemporary Writings on Amphibians (2000). Island Press. (Prologue, "Reflections in a Golden Eye," and chapter, "Waterproof Wildlife.")
- Facing the Lion: Writers on Life and Craft (1996). Beacon Press.(essay "Secrets of the Talking Leaf")
- Words From the Land, Volume II (1995). University of Nevada Press. (essay "A Grand Surprise")
- The Norton Book of Nature Writing (1990). Ed. J. Elder, R. Finch. Norton. (essay "And the Coyotes Will Lift A Leg")
- Butterfly Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden (1990; new edition, 1998). Xerces Society/Sierra Club BooksSierra Club BooksSierra Club Books is the publishing division of the Sierra Club, founded in 1960 by then Sierra Club President David Brower. Volumes intended for club members had been published prior to 1960. In addition, books under their name had been published before 1960, but done through already established...
. (Afterword and chapter "Butterfly Watching Tips") - The Art of the Butterfly (1990). Chronicle/Marquand. (Afterword)