USFWS History

Black and white photo of rabbit with large ears under a tree.

Historic sighting of the Easter Bunny from the USFWS Museum/Archives photo collection at the National Conservation Training Center.

Image: Antelope Jackrabbit (Lepus alleni). Photographer: W.P. Taylor.

Black and white photo of Lincoln seated.

Black and white photo of Darwin seated.

Happy President's Day!

Presidential Trivia: President Abraham Lincoln and naturalist Charles Darwin were both born on the same day, February 12, 1809.

#presidentsday #trivia

Book cover with man and dog on mountain top.

“Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania”
with author Dr. Allen Dieterich-Ward

Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 7:00 pm
National Conservation Training Center
698 Conservation Way
Shepherdstown, WV

Online viewing January 23, 2025 at 2:00pm ET from: www.fws.gov/broadcasts

Man lying on ground with small rodent standing next to him.

"You Write the Caption Contest!"
Place your cleverest caption below and the winner will be chosen next week.

Book cover with man on mountain top with dog.

NCTC Conservation Lecture Series
“Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania”
with author Dr. Allen Dieterich-Ward

This talk will be recorded and available for online viewing on January 23, 2025 at 2:00pm ET from the NCTC Broadcast page: www.fws.gov/broadcasts

Santa standing next to a small aircraft.

Winner of Last Week's "You Write the Caption Contest!" Congratulations to Gary Young for his seasonal caption:
"Rudolph has the flu so the Cub will have to do!"

This historical image is from Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge in 1960.
#caption #usfwshistory #usfws #captionthis #captionchallenge

Bald eagle in flight. Credit: Todd Harless/USFWS.

Tuesday Trivia: Although the U.S. had a national mammal (bison) and a national tree (oak) it did not have a national bird until December 24, 2024 when the bald eagle became our first national bird.

Learn more about NCTC Eagle cam at: www.fws.gov/nctc/eagle-cam

Image: Bald eagle at NCTC.
#trivia

President Carter fly-fishing at Grand Tetons, WY in 1978.

Monday Motivation: "It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever."
--Former President Jimmy Carter (1924-2024)

Image: Carter fly-fishing in WY/National Archives

Jimmy Carter standing behind a lectern at NCTC in 2011.

Former President Jimmy Carter has passed at age 100. Carter was an ardent conservationist. His signing of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980 protected more than 100 million acres of land in Alaska including expanding many units of the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System.

Cartoon with owls, hawk, vulture, and bald eagle with title "Birds of Prey."

Friday Fun: "Birds of Prey Family Portrait"

Artist and cartoonist Kent Olson was a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field biologist from 1958 to 1990 working for the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System. Olson's original artworks are housed at the USFWS Museum/Archives at NCTC.

#usfwshistory #USFWS

Card with text "A Happy Christmas Mardy and Olaus Murie" with wolf on snow near mountains.

Original Christmas Card from Olaus and Mardy Murie. Olaus was a premier naturalist and artist for the Biological Survey and later the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1920-1945.

#usfwshistory #USFWS #christmas2024 #christmascards

Rachel Carson looking through a microscope.

Monday Motivation: "Some of nature’s most exquisite handiwork is on a miniature scale, as anyone knows who has applied a magnifying glass to a snowflake."
—former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee Rachel Carson

#USFWS #usfwshistory #mondaymotivation #quote #quotes

Johnson in a sea of orange flowers.

This Day in Environmental History: December 22, 1912 First Lady and beautification advocate Lady Bird Johnson born in Karnack, TX (d. 2007). Johnson sought to "make America beautiful" and was a force behind the Highway Beautification Act.
#envhist #history #TDIH #OTD #onthisday #todayinhistory

Black and White photo of Santa near small aircraft.

"You Write the Caption Contest!"
Place your cleverest caption below and the winner will be chosen next week. The best caption will receive a book.

#caption

Black and white photo of U.S. Fish Commission employees with stocking jars in Washington, D.C.

Winner of Last Week's "You Write the Caption Contest!"

"Until the discovery of this photo, it was always a mystery as to how the Bureau of Fisheries maintained such a healthy budget during the 1920s."

#caption #captionthis #usfwshistory #captionlessphoto

Black and white photo of Boy Scouts bird watching. Credit: Earl Cunningham.

This Day in Environmental History: December 7, 1936 Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge established the oldest refuge in Mississippi. The refuge is home to American alligators, migratory waterfowl, wading birds, state record white-tailed deer, squirrel, rabbit and raccoon.

#OTD #envhist #TDIH #history

Black and white photo of runways at Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii.

This Day in History: December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor which led to America's entering World War II. Today Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge protects sites of the attack such as the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station.

#pearharbor #OTD #TDIH

Ding Darling cartoon of man feeding birds.

This Day in Environmental History: December 1, 1945 Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge, FL established. In 1967, the refuge was renamed for conservation pioneer/cartoonist Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling, who was instrumental in its founding.

#envhist #usfwshistory #OTD #thisdayinenvifronmentalhistory

Various national flags being carried in Anatarctica.

This Day in Environmental History: December 1, 1959 Antarctic Treaty promotes the peaceful use of the continent for scientific research.

#envhist #histsci #History #OTD #TDIH #thisdayinhistory #onthisday #todayinhistory #thisdaythatyear

Black and white photo of 5 men and behind them are approximately 100 glass jars.

"You Write the Caption Contest!"
Place your cleverest caption below and the winner will be chosen next week. The best caption will receive a book.

#usfwshistory #caption #captionthis #captionthischallenge #captionlessphotochallenge #captionlessphotochallenge #captioncreationchallenge

Man photographing bighorn close-up.

Winner of Last Week's "You Write the Caption Contest!" Congratulations to Gary Young for his winning caption:
"This new zoom lens works great - the animals look so close!"

Photo Credit: Denise Bickerton.

#captionthis #usfwshistory #captionchallenge #caption #captions

This Day in Environmental History: November 24, 1908 Ocala National Forest in Florida is established by President Theodore Roosevelt. Ocala is the southernmost national forest in the continental US.

Image: Ocala Forest/USDA Forest Service.

#tdih #OTD #envhist #histsci #environment #thisday

Portrait of Abel Tasman.

This Day in Environmental History: November 24, 1642 Dutch explorer Abel Tasman becomes the first European to observe the island he names Van Diemen's Land (renamed Tasmania in 1855).

#TDIH #OTD #envhsit #histsci #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory #thisdaythatyear.

Portrait of young Charles Darwin.

"Origin of Species" title page.

This Day in Environmental History: November 24, 1859 Charles Darwin publishes “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection." This book, promoting his new theory of evolution, sells out quickly and revolutionizes the biological sciences.
#thisday #OTD #tdih #envhist #histsci

Kids fishing at Bo Ginn National Fish Hatchery.

This Day in Environmental History: November 23, 1949 Millen National Fish Hatchery in Georgia established. In 1988 it was renamed Bo Ginn NFH in honor of Congressman Ronald “Bo” Ginn.

Black and white photo of man holding camera pointing it at mountain goat.

"You Write the Caption Contest!"
Place your cleverest caption below and the winner will be chosen next week. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Museum/Archives at the National Conservation Training Center has over 100,000 historic images, many not captioned.
#captionthis #captions #usfwshistory

Long necked bird (anhinga) with a fish.

This Day in Environmental History: November 19, 1935 Delta National Wildlife Refuge, LA established. These wetlands, w are accessible only by watercraft. Many visitors enjoy waterfowl hunting and fishing.

Image: Anhinga with fish/USFWS

#OTD #tdih #envhist #usfwshistory #thisdaythatyear #onthisday

Black and white photo of shrimp arranged decoratively on a plate.

The USFWS Test Kitchen in the 1950s and '60s promoted public consumption of fish and shellfish. Various ways of preparing seafood were conceived and tested in the Service's Test Kitchen in College Park, Maryland.

Image of prepared dish "Shrimp Hawaiian" by Rex Gary Schmidt/USFWS.

#usfwshistory

Moose standing in a forest.

This Day in Environmental History: November 17, 1992 Umbagog NWR, NH and ME established. Result of a cooperative effort between states of Maine and New Hampshire, conservation organizations, timber companies, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

#usfwshistory #OTD #tdih #envhist #thisdayinhistory

Illustration showing first boats going through Suez Canal.

This Day in Environmental History: November 17, 1869 Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking Mediterranean and Red Seas.

#thisdayinhistory #envhist #histsci #OTD #TDIH #thisdaythatyear #onthisday #onthisdate