Dr. Roger Tory Peterson, an Old Lyme resident and renowned naturalist, educator, author, and artist, built an international career from his love for birds, respect for nature, and talent for drawing, beginning with A Field Guide to the Birds in 1934 and continuing as author or illustrator of more than 30 publications. His work heightened public interest in wildlife, helped make bird watching a national pastime, earned him 23 honorary degrees, and brought two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his role in modern environmental awareness. In Connecticut, he became especially known for detecting the sharp reduction in osprey numbers at Great Island in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a decline caused by pesticides such as DDT that also affected other raptor populations. Connecticut banned the use of DDT in 1970, and by the mid-1970s osprey populations began to rebound, though recovery was limited by a lack of natural nest sites. In 1962, he erected the first nest platform at Great Island, and since then the number of platforms and ospreys has increased dramatically along the Connecticut coast. With the work of Roger Tory Peterson and the public he inspired, Connecticut's osprey population maintains its stronghold at Great Island, supported by volunteers working with the Department of Environmental Protection's Wildlife Division to maintain the island's many nest platforms.

Photo: Conrad Ward