Description

LETTERS OF A NATURALIST - THE FIELD ACCOUNTS OF RICHARD HENRY OF RESOLUTION ISLAND - Hill, Hill and Jaenecke . Putangi Publications, 2022 Normally costs $120 retail. See the photos for contents and random sample pages. Includes an extensive overview of Richard Henry's life. Richly illustrated with many landscape, bird and wildlife photographs from leading NZ photographers, historic images, drawings, and maps .Brings together Richard Henry's charming letters, natural history notes, and early reminiscences, giving a colourful picture of this important figure in NZ's conservation history. Richard Henry(1845-1929) was appointed curator of Resolution Island in 1894, living and working - often alone - for fourteen years in wild and remote Tamatea / Dusky Sound in Fiordland. He was a skilled bushman, boatman, artificer and self-taught naturalist. His astute observations of the birds and marine life of the Sound, his close relationship with its flora and fauna, his efforts to save kakapo and kiwi from the mustelids, and his translocation of the endangered birds to offshore islands, were all major contributions to NZ wildlife conservation. "The fascinating and beautifully illustrated Letters of a Naturalist presents, for the first time, the collated writings of Richard Henry, pioneer conservationist and New Zealand's first wildlife ranger. It is a testament to the tenacity and foresight of one man, whose efforts to save kakapo and kiwi still provide inspiration and guidance to those of us continuing his work more than a century later." - Dr Andrew Digby, Kakapo Recovery, DOC -Hardback with jacket; 470 pp; 300×233mm; Over 500 illustrations. A not-for-profit publication, all proceeds are being donated to NZ bird recovery programmes.