INTRODUCTION: PLACES TO HIDE AND SEEK [chapter]

2000 Wildlife Sanctuaries and the Audubon Society  
At the beginning of the twentieth century, long before "endangered species" became a household term, the forerunners of the National Audubon Society were determined to set aside essential habitat for birds. Pioneers in wildlife conservation such as George Bird Grinnell, William Dutcher, T. Gilbert Pearson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ludlow Griscom realized that, in order to survive, each species requires a unique combination of plants, animals, climate, soil, and water. In addition to these
more » ... tal factors, birds of value to the millinery trade or as food for the table had to be protected from market hunters. Early in the twentieth century, the Florida Audubon Society, then in its infancy, was determined to set aside, as a sanctuary, an egret rookery at Cuthbert Lake in the Florida Everglades. At the time, an ounce of gold was worth thirty-two dollars, as were the plumes of a single egret. Since egret plumes were literally worth their weight in gold, it is not surprising that plume hunters looked upon any egret colony as a source of instant wealth. Guy Bradley, a young man with an intense interest in wildlife and a native of Cape Sable, Florida, was thoroughly familiar with Cuthbert Lake. He readily accepted the Florida Audubon Society's offer to patrol
doi:10.7560/704985-002 fatcat:knhchtwo2ng2dk2yf4boywz6ey