Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Archives of the Virginia Society of Ornithology, Accession #12632, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The collection was a gift from the Virginia Society of Ornithology, through Gene Sattler, to University of Virginia Library on August 1, 2003.

Biographical/Historical Information

The organization was founded in 1929 to encourage the systematic study of birds in Virginia, to stimulate interest in birds, and to assist the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources. Activities undertaken by the Society include an annual meeting held in a different part of the state each year, featuring talks on ornithological subjects and field trips to nearby areas; other field trips lasting a day or more and scheduled throughout the year so as to include all seasons and to cover the major physiographic regions of the state; publication of the journal The Raven , a newsletter, and Virginia Birds; study projects such as nesting studies and winter bird population surveys. In addition, local chapters of the Society, located in some of the larger cities and towns of Virginia, conduct their own programs of meetings, field trips, and other projects.

Scope and Content

The Archives of the Virginia Society of Ornithology, 1929-2001, include financial materials, articles of incorporation and papers about its incorporation, by-laws, and tax information. There are also minutes of board meetings, rosters of officers and members, information on local chapters, obituaries of members, general correspondence, information on publications, research projects (such as the Kiptopeke State Park Banding Operation) and research grants. There are 1,638 items in 4 hollinger boxes (1.5 linear feet).

The society shares information about birds and strives to have a positive influence on the preservation of birds and their environment in the Virginia and surrounding mid-Atlantic areas. Some examples of the society's efforts in conservation and environmental issues include their attempts to save Marble Valley near Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge from a dam that was proposed by Virginia Electric Power Company, opposition to legislation for a landfill in Prince William County (H. R. 664), support for bans on D.D.T., preservation of the Mount Rogers National Recreational Area (at White Top, Virginia), and the prevention of development near national refuge areas, such as the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park.

Correspondents include officials of the U. S. Forestry Service, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, members and officers of the Virginia Society of Ornithology, particularly secretary of the VSO, Robert J. Watson and many politicians, including Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr., former governor, Linwood Holton, Senator William B. Spong, Jr., Thomas N. Downing, Clive L. Duval, Paul Trible, A. Willis Robertson, Edward J. Roberson, William M. Tuck, and Joel T. Broyhill.

The Raven is the main publication for the society. There is correspondence about bird sightings and bird counts for publication in The Raven as well as letters about meeting deadlines and resolving the backlog of issues.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically by topic and chronologically within each folder.