Luther Goldman
Encyclopedia
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/bios/GoldmanLuther.htm
Luther Chase Goldman (1909-2005) was an American
naturalist
and wildlife photographer. Best known for his photographs of endangered species
of bird
s, he was chief photographer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Luther was born in Washington, D.C.
, on November 2, 1909. He was fortunate in his younger years to learn nature lore from his father, Edward A. Goldman, an eminent naturalist. In teenage summer months he served as camp boy on research expeditions in Arizona, trapping and preparing specimens of mammals, his early interest, and also gaining field experience with the Predator and Rodent Control Branch of the Bureau of Biological Survey of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
At the University of Maryland
he earned a degree in biological sciences and lettered as a football first-string lineman. Three years of field work followed: in Mexico (two winters) for biological investigations of wintering waterfowl, as a member of a party in Baja California to collect mountain sheep (a new subspecies), in Florida, as assistant in Arthur H. Howell
’s fauna research, and in Arizona for mammal research on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
In 1939, he married his college sweetheart, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Mulligan. That year, too, was the beginning of his 20-year career as manager of national wildlife refuges at the new Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge in California.
Luther’s intense interest in ornithology and in wildlife photography developed early as a result of living in remote areas with poor access to good film developing and printing sources. He took up his own darkroom work and began documenting required narrative reports to the Washington D.C office with 8” x 10” prints. His illustrations attracted immediate attention, and copies of his photographs began to appear on the covers of Bureau reports and elsewhere.
In 1941, he attended the first In Training School on Bureau procedures and activities at Patuxent Research Refuge
in Laurel, Maryland. He spent months on a one-man biological reconnaissance prior to establishment of the Imperial
and Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
s on the lower Colorado River
in Arizona.
Development plans for the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge were put on hold due to unstable conditions of the Sea’s water table. In 1942, Luther transferred to New Mexico to manage the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge
. Along with normal refuge activities was an engineering project to change the course of the Pecos River for control of bank erosion. At night, only the bright lights of the far off German prisoner-of-war camp could be seen. Entering active duty in the U.S. Army in 1943, Luther served for three years as entomologist.
Upon his return to civilian life he was offered three choices in wildlife refuge management. He seized the opportunity to research and develop the two new national wildlife refuges on the Texas-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley—the 45000 acres (182.1 km²) Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
and the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
. The next 12 years (1947-59) were filled with excitement and challenges. In Wild America, co-authored with Roger Tory Peterson
after their 30000 miles (48,280.2 km) birding expedition around North America, James Fisher wrote of him, “Luther is one of the best field men I have ever encountered.”
After the aforementioned 20 years on western refuges (including Army service), Luther accepted a position in the Washington Office as assistant chief, Section of Wildlife Management in the Branch of Wildlife Refuges. He, Betty, and their son, Edward, moved to College Park, Maryland. He served on many panels and teams, including Secretary Udall’s Eagle Survey Team, which resulted in new restrictions on poisoning, trapping, and aerial hunting of eagles in the U.S.
Later, his abilities in wildlife photography led to his appointment as the Bureau’s chief photographer and curator of the extensive photo files, for which he photographed endangered species and field activities. He received a certificate of commendation for his photography in the publication of Interior’s Birds in Our Lives.
Through these years, his many other biological and photographic duties included consultation on scientific matters and representing the Division of Wildlife Refuges at the Mountain Sheep Conference in Hermocillo, Mexico. In cooperation with the National Aeronautical Space Administration and the Atomic Energy Commission
, Luther photographed wildlife on Amchitka Island, Alaska, to determine the effect of subterranean atomic bomb blasts on surface fauna and wildlife on the Kenai Peninsula
. With Dr. Donald Aldrich and artist Bob Hines, he selected and arranged the annual showing of Duck Stamp art entries for judges’ selection of the contest winner. On the U.S.-Canadian team to secure whooping crane eggs from the Northwest Territories, Canada, Luther photographed the operation from the air and on the ground and wrote an account for the Bureau publication In-Sight (40,000 copies reprinted for wide distribution). He made a second trip for team egg-pickup in 1974. With Dr. Aldrich, he made a six-year study and photographic record of the bald eagle from nestling to adult to determine its age when acquiring complete white head and tail feathers. Prior to the California condors’ disappearance in the wild, in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation, Luther photographed them in the mountains of Sespe National Sanctuary, northeast of Los Angeles. He created slide shows concerning endangered species for use by the Regional and Washington Offices, as well as on loan to the general public.
His photographs have hung in the U.S. Capitol, State Department, museums in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the library of Peter Scott at Slimbridge, and are widely used in publications of the federal government and National Geographic Society and in books by conservation authors.
Retiring in 1974 after 35 years of government service, he led many natural history tours, both in the National Capitol area as well as abroad, including such places as Trinidad & Tobago. He was honored by both the Montgomery County Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society and the Prince George’s County Audubon Society, highlighting the contributions he made to them and to the cause of wildlife preservation in general.
He was elected to membership in the Washington Biologists’ Field Club in 1960 and was chairman of Books and Photographs Committee. When The Members and History of the Washington Biologists’ Field Club was revised in 1984 and the Supplement in 1993, Luther supplied the photographs, printing many from old negatives (some glass plates) and developing and printing new ones. In 1996, he was selected to become an honorary member.
Luther lived with his wife, Betty. for many years in their home in College Park, Maryland, until her death in 2002. He continued to live alone and be very active with birding projects. Luther died at age 95 in Lanham, Maryland, on January 12, 2005, after a short illness. Luther was one of the most popular and active members of the Washington Biologists’ Field Club and attended an oyster roast on Plummers Island on October 30, 2004, just three days before his 95th birthday.
Luther Chase Goldman (1909-2005) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and wildlife photographer. Best known for his photographs of endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, he was chief photographer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Luther was born in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on November 2, 1909. He was fortunate in his younger years to learn nature lore from his father, Edward A. Goldman, an eminent naturalist. In teenage summer months he served as camp boy on research expeditions in Arizona, trapping and preparing specimens of mammals, his early interest, and also gaining field experience with the Predator and Rodent Control Branch of the Bureau of Biological Survey of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
At the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
he earned a degree in biological sciences and lettered as a football first-string lineman. Three years of field work followed: in Mexico (two winters) for biological investigations of wintering waterfowl, as a member of a party in Baja California to collect mountain sheep (a new subspecies), in Florida, as assistant in Arthur H. Howell
Arthur Holmes Howell
Arthur Holmes Howell was an American zoologist most notable for his field work on mammals and birds in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, and Texas.In 1889 Howell became a member of the American Ornithologists' Union...
’s fauna research, and in Arizona for mammal research on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
In 1939, he married his college sweetheart, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Mulligan. That year, too, was the beginning of his 20-year career as manager of national wildlife refuges at the new Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge in California.
Luther’s intense interest in ornithology and in wildlife photography developed early as a result of living in remote areas with poor access to good film developing and printing sources. He took up his own darkroom work and began documenting required narrative reports to the Washington D.C office with 8” x 10” prints. His illustrations attracted immediate attention, and copies of his photographs began to appear on the covers of Bureau reports and elsewhere.
In 1941, he attended the first In Training School on Bureau procedures and activities at Patuxent Research Refuge
Patuxent Research Refuge
Established in 1936 by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Patuxent Research Refuge is the only National Wildlife Refuge in the United States established to support wildlife research. With land surrounding the Patuxent and Little Patuxent Rivers between Washington, D.C...
in Laurel, Maryland. He spent months on a one-man biological reconnaissance prior to establishment of the Imperial
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
The Imperial National Wildlife Refuge protects wildlife habitat along of the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California, including the last un-channeled section before the river enters Mexico...
and Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California. It preserves habitat for desert bighorn sheep to the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher, birds and other animals. The refuge protects 30 river miles - of shoreline -...
s on the lower Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
in Arizona.
Development plans for the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge were put on hold due to unstable conditions of the Sea’s water table. In 1942, Luther transferred to New Mexico to manage the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in two separate sections in central Chaves County, New Mexico, USA, a few miles northeast of the city of Roswell. Both sections lie on the banks of the Pecos River...
. Along with normal refuge activities was an engineering project to change the course of the Pecos River for control of bank erosion. At night, only the bright lights of the far off German prisoner-of-war camp could be seen. Entering active duty in the U.S. Army in 1943, Luther served for three years as entomologist.
Upon his return to civilian life he was offered three choices in wildlife refuge management. He seized the opportunity to research and develop the two new national wildlife refuges on the Texas-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley—the 45000 acres (182.1 km²) Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The refuge is located almost entirely in Cameron County, Texas , although a very small part of its northernmost point extends into southern Willacy County...
and the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a refuge situated along the banks of the Rio Grande in Hidalgo County, Texas south of Alamo, Texas. It was established for the protection of migratory birds in 1943...
. The next 12 years (1947-59) were filled with excitement and challenges. In Wild America, co-authored with Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson , was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, and held to be one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement.-Background:...
after their 30000 miles (48,280.2 km) birding expedition around North America, James Fisher wrote of him, “Luther is one of the best field men I have ever encountered.”
After the aforementioned 20 years on western refuges (including Army service), Luther accepted a position in the Washington Office as assistant chief, Section of Wildlife Management in the Branch of Wildlife Refuges. He, Betty, and their son, Edward, moved to College Park, Maryland. He served on many panels and teams, including Secretary Udall’s Eagle Survey Team, which resulted in new restrictions on poisoning, trapping, and aerial hunting of eagles in the U.S.
Later, his abilities in wildlife photography led to his appointment as the Bureau’s chief photographer and curator of the extensive photo files, for which he photographed endangered species and field activities. He received a certificate of commendation for his photography in the publication of Interior’s Birds in Our Lives.
Through these years, his many other biological and photographic duties included consultation on scientific matters and representing the Division of Wildlife Refuges at the Mountain Sheep Conference in Hermocillo, Mexico. In cooperation with the National Aeronautical Space Administration and the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
, Luther photographed wildlife on Amchitka Island, Alaska, to determine the effect of subterranean atomic bomb blasts on surface fauna and wildlife on the Kenai Peninsula
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the southern coast of Alaska in the United States. The name Kenai is probably derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for Cook Inlet, which borders the peninsula to the west.-Geography:...
. With Dr. Donald Aldrich and artist Bob Hines, he selected and arranged the annual showing of Duck Stamp art entries for judges’ selection of the contest winner. On the U.S.-Canadian team to secure whooping crane eggs from the Northwest Territories, Canada, Luther photographed the operation from the air and on the ground and wrote an account for the Bureau publication In-Sight (40,000 copies reprinted for wide distribution). He made a second trip for team egg-pickup in 1974. With Dr. Aldrich, he made a six-year study and photographic record of the bald eagle from nestling to adult to determine its age when acquiring complete white head and tail feathers. Prior to the California condors’ disappearance in the wild, in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation, Luther photographed them in the mountains of Sespe National Sanctuary, northeast of Los Angeles. He created slide shows concerning endangered species for use by the Regional and Washington Offices, as well as on loan to the general public.
His photographs have hung in the U.S. Capitol, State Department, museums in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the library of Peter Scott at Slimbridge, and are widely used in publications of the federal government and National Geographic Society and in books by conservation authors.
Retiring in 1974 after 35 years of government service, he led many natural history tours, both in the National Capitol area as well as abroad, including such places as Trinidad & Tobago. He was honored by both the Montgomery County Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society and the Prince George’s County Audubon Society, highlighting the contributions he made to them and to the cause of wildlife preservation in general.
He was elected to membership in the Washington Biologists’ Field Club in 1960 and was chairman of Books and Photographs Committee. When The Members and History of the Washington Biologists’ Field Club was revised in 1984 and the Supplement in 1993, Luther supplied the photographs, printing many from old negatives (some glass plates) and developing and printing new ones. In 1996, he was selected to become an honorary member.
Luther lived with his wife, Betty. for many years in their home in College Park, Maryland, until her death in 2002. He continued to live alone and be very active with birding projects. Luther died at age 95 in Lanham, Maryland, on January 12, 2005, after a short illness. Luther was one of the most popular and active members of the Washington Biologists’ Field Club and attended an oyster roast on Plummers Island on October 30, 2004, just three days before his 95th birthday.