Browse Projects
100% Complete
39 Total pages
19 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Alaska, 1911
Collection expeditions are important to supporting the conservation of birds and mammals, but did you know that wildlife practices have an economic impact, too? That's one of many angles that Alexander Wetmore investigated in this collection of personal notes from Alaska, 1911. Together with photos and expense reports are Wetmore's personal notes about fox farming, fur trading, and other wildlife practices, which he presented to the Division of Economic Investigations. Join other digital volunteers to transcribe this field book and get a new perspective on wildlife expeditions.
100% Complete
83 Total pages
29 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Field Notes, April-June 1903
What were you most passionate about when you were a teenager? Is it something that you enjoy just as much now? In 1903, when future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore was just 17, his passion was the same as it was in his adulthood—birds. Wetmore, an ornithologist and curator, kept this set of handwritten notes as a young man, tracking the migration patterns and activity of birds in his native Wisconsin. Wetmore would go on to research birds for the rest of his long and vibrant scientific career. In celebration of International Migratory Bird Day, help our digital volunteers transcribe Wetmore’s migration observations!
100% Complete
113 Total pages
23 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Field Notes, August 1902-April 1903
When future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore was a teenager, his interests weren’t just flights of fancy. They laid the groundwork for his long and successful scientific career as an ornithologist and curator. Wetmore began studying birds at a young age, and continued through his adulthood with the Smithsonian! He recorded this set of field notes when he was just 16—many years later, Wetmore would continue his ornithological field observations. Join us in transcribing this set of field notes and make a young Wetmore’s scientific exploration available for generations of new researchers!
100% Complete
86 Total pages
31 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Field notes, January 1898 - April 1902
For many Smithsonian scientists, a passion for field research is at the core of their work. But for some—like Smithsonian Secretary Alexander Wetmore—that devotion to field work started long before their career did! Wetmore began his ornithology field work when he was a teenager, growing up in North Freedom, Wisconsin. This set of notes documents his early bird observations—heading to the fields before breakfast or after school with friends to document the wildlife of his hometown. Help transcribe Wetmore’s field notes, taken from 1898-1902, for another generation of aspiring scientists!
100% Complete
118 Total pages
34 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Field Notes, June-October 1900
What were you most passionate about when you were a teenager? Is it something that you enjoy just as much now? In 1900, when future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore was just fourteen years old, his passion was the same as it was in his adulthood—birds. Wetmore, an ornithologist and curator, kept this set of handwritten notes as a young man, keeping track of his bird watching expeditions after school. Wetmore would go on to research birds for the rest of his long and vibrant scientific career! Help our other volunteers to transcribe this set of field notes and make a young Wetmore’s scientific exploration available for generations of new researchers.
100% Complete
176 Total pages
23 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Field notes, November 1901- April 1902
For many Smithsonian scientists, a passion for field research is at the core of their work. But for some—like Smithsonian Secretary Alexander Wetmore—field work started long before their careers did! Wetmore began his ornithology research when he was a teenager, growing up in North Freedom, Wisconsin. This set of notes documents his early bird observations in his hometown (and on a trip to Minnesota!). Help transcribe Wetmore’s field notes, taken from 1901-1902, for another generation of aspiring scientists!
100% Complete
113 Total pages
24 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Field Notes, October 1900 – April 1901
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? If you were future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore, you’d want to study birds—and you’d start your work early! Wetmore, who later became an ornithologist and Smithsonian Secretary, kept this set of records in his hometown of North Freedom, Wisconsin from 1900-1901, at just fourteen years old. These field notes would be the start to Wetmore’s decades of field research. Join us in transcribing this set of notes and make a young Wetmore’s scientific exploration available for generations of new researchers.
100% Complete
91 Total pages
11 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Guatemala and Honduras, 1936
Have you ever wanted to boat along the shores of Guatemala? Travel along its rivers? Explore the Tres Zapotes archaeological site? Take that incredible journey with Alexander Wetmore, ornithologist, curator, and former Secretary of the Smithsonian, with his 1936 photo album. This unique collection of images was taken during Wetmore's expedition trip to Guatemala and Honduras in 1936, and offers a unique view into the region's natural landscapes and his process of collecting bird specimens. Help our other volunteers to transcribe the captions from this photo album and make Wetmore's expedition available for future researchers.
100% Complete
2 Total pages
4 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Migration Records, Fall 1901
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? If you were future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore, you'd want to study birds--and you'd start your work early! Wetmore, who later became an ornithologist and curator, kept this set of bird migration records in his hometown of North Freedom, Wisconsin in the Fall of 1901, at just fifteen years old. These records were sent to the US Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Biological Survey, where (just nine years later) Wetmore got his first job and began a long, successful career studying birds. Join us in transcribing this set of migration records and make a young Wetmore's scientific exploration available for generations of new researchers. You can also help transcribe, Wetmore's migration records from the Spring of 1901, too.
100% Complete
4 Total pages
5 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Migration Records, Spring 1901
When future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore was a teenager, his interests weren't just flights of fancy. They laid the groundwork for his long and successful scientific career as an ornithologist and curator. Wetmore began studying birds at a young age, and continued through adulthood--not just through the Spring of 1901! This set of bird migration records, taken in his hometown of North Freedom, Wisconsin when he was just fourteen years old, were sent to the US Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Biological Survey. Nine years later, Wetmore got his first job with the USDA, where he continued studying bird migration. Join us in transcribing this set of migration records and make a young Wetmore's scientific exploration available for generations of new researchers. You can also help transcribe, Wetmore's migration records from the Fall of 1901, too.
100% Complete
6 Total pages
4 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Monthly Bird List, July 1900
When you were young, what did you do on your summer vacation? If you were future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore, you'd be bird watching. Wetmore, who grew up to become an ornithologist and curator, kept this set of notes about bird migration in his hometown of North Freedom, Wisconsin in July of 1900, at just fourteen years old. Wetmore recorded the common names and ages of the species he observed, watching the sky from a local plum orchard and marsh. Tracking the migration of birds was something that Wetmore would continue doing during his long and illustrious scientific career! Join us in transcribing this set of migration notes and make a young Wetmore's scientific exploration available for generations of new researchers.
100% Complete
28 Total pages
3 Contributing members
Alexander Wetmore- Monthly bird lists, February 1904-January 1905
How did you spend your winter and summer breaks in college? If you were future Secretary of the Smithsonian Alexander Wetmore, you would spend it doing what you loved most--observing birds. Wetmore, who later became an ornithologist and curator, kept a notebook of bird observations, both at his childhood home in North Freedom, Wisconsin, and in college at the University of Kansas. This typed copy of Wetmore's notebook shares his monthly bird observations from 1904-1905. Join us in transcribing this set of notes and make a young Wetmore's scientific exploration available for generations of new researchers.
