Author Event | Will McLean Greeley: The Legacy of Senator George P. McLean and Bird Conservation Legislation

When

Friday October 27, 2023: 2:00pm to 3:00pm  Add to Calendar /   Add to Google Calendar

Where

Pittsfield Branch: Program Room

Description

Join author Will McLean Greeley for a presentation on his new biography of Senator George P. McLean, A Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington: Senator George P. McLean, Birdman of the Senate.

This is the story of how Connecticut’s George P. McLean helped establish lasting legal protections for birds, overseeing passage of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This landmark environmental protection legislation, still in effect today, has saved millions if not billions of birds, and likely prevented extinctions. Greeley, McLean’s great-great nephew, puts McLean’s victory for birds in the context of his distinguished forty-five-year career marked by many acts of reform during a time of widespread corruption and political instability.

David Allen Sibley, author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds, writes of the book: “On one level this is a fascinating, and thoroughly researched, glimpse into the workings of US politics in the early twentieth century. On another level it’s an inspiring story of one man’s determination and steadfast commitment to securing legal protections for birds. I am glad to know more about George McLean.”

This event includes a signing with books for sale.