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| Beginnings
of the Society |
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In 1878, a
group of amateur naturalists (including H.P. Bailey, E.P. Bicknell,
Ernest Ingersoll, C. Hart Merriam and John Burroughs) met to organize a
natural history society. They named the society after the famed 18th C.
Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). For over 100 years, the
Society has served interested amateurs and professional scientists
alike.
The
logo of the Society depicts a peregrine falcon perched atop a city
tower and was designed for the Society by Richard Edes
Harrison, cartographer and amateur ornithologist.
City buildings resemble the native cliff habitat of the
peregrine and today there are a number of nesting pairs throughout the
city. |
| The Society today |
Today, our
members are a group of diverse people who like to observe and learn
about birds, plants, animals and marine life of the Northeast. Our
public lectures, meetings and membership are open to persons with an
active interest in ornithology, natural science and conservation. The
Society's programs and field trips offer opportunities for learning and
enjoyment.
The Society regularly publishes a News-Letter,
containing articles, trip reports, book reviews, announcements and
other items of interest. The Proceedings, published occasionally,
contains longer articles and notes. Lengthy papers are published at
longer intervals in the Transactions.
Regular meetings are held
on the second and fourth Tuesday from September through May at 7:30
p.m. During the Summer, the Society may hold informal meetings
(on the third Tuesday of June, July or August at 7:30 p.m.); as Summer
meetings are scheduled they will be announced. All meetings (other than
the
Annual Dinner and Meeting, in March) are held at the American Museum of
Natural History, located at Central Park West and 79th St., unless
otherwise announced.
The
Society has been organized as an
unincorporated not-for-profit
association and
donations to the Society qualify, as permitted by law, as charitable
contributions under the Federal tax code. |
| Funds
and Awards |
The Society
maintains special funds, such as the Charles A. Urner Memorial Fund
for the promotion of field ornithology in New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, the Great
Gull Island Fund, for the support of research on Great
Gull Island (joinly with the American Museum of Natural History), and
the Revolving
Publications Fund for support of the Society's
publications.
The
Society occasionally grants awards, including the Eisenmann Medal, and
appoints Honorary Members, Benefactors and Fellows.
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