In Memoriam:

Richard Tompkins Paul

29 April 1946 11 November 2005
ird conservation in the Tampa Bay region of

first surveyed the great colonial bird rookeries along

Florida lost a powerful ally with the death of

Floridas Gulf coast in the 1890s and documented their

Richard T. Paul of Tampa on 11 November 2005.

decimation by plume hunters over the next several

He was 59. From 1972 until his retirement in 2003, Rich

decades. Rich delighted in entertaining friends with bad

was an ornithologist for Audubon. Although he studied

puns or jokes such as: What do you call a boomerang

Greater Flamingos and White-crowned Pigeons in the

that doesnt come back? A stick.

West Indies, Golden Eagles in Wyoming, and Reddish

Rich was the summer seasonal editor of the Florida

Egrets in Texas, most of Richs life and work was spent in

region for American Birds and Field Notes from 1983

Florida. Beginning in 1980 and beyond

through 1994, in the final years co-au-

his retirement, Rich guarded wading

thored with Ann Schnapf, whom he

bird rookeries along the central and

later married. He co-authored with Pe-

southern Gulf coast of Florida, the so-

ter Lowther the Reddish Egret account

called Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuar-

for the Birds of North America series,

ies. These sanctuaries, consisting of

and he helped to document the first

both public and privately owned is-

nesting record of Elegant Tern away

lands, were carefully monitored and

from the Pacific coast, on one of his

regularly patrolled by Rich and others

sanctuary islands in Tampa Bay in

to control raccoon depredation and hu-

MayJune 2002. Among numerous

man- and dog-disturbance during the

awards presented to Rich during his

critical nesting season. Rich expanded

long career, he was posthumously pre-

the scope of the sanctuaries from nine

sented with Audubons Guy Bradley

islands in 1980 to 50 by 2003, support-

Award for Lifetime Achievement at a

ing nearly 50,000 pairs of 25 species of colonial breeders.

memorial service in November 2005.

Paramount among these were the two islands, known as

Rich is survived by his wife Ann, son David, daughter

Alafia Bank, owned by Mosaic Fertilizer at the mouth of

Laura, parents George and Doris, one brother, one sister,

the Alafia River south of Tampa. The islands and a new

and two stepsons. He will be terribly missed by a great

environmental education center built nearby have been

many friends and admirers.

named for Rich, in honor of his decades of dedication to

the birds and their habitat here.
Rich reveled in sharing both John James Audubons

Bill Pranty
8515 Village Mill Row

birthday and Roger Tory Petersons initials. He was born

Bayonet Point, Florida 34667

in Princeton, New Jersey, the home of W.E.D. Scott, who

(billpranty@hotmail.com)

VOLUME 60 (2006) NUMBER 1

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