Have you dreamed of leaving your job to pursue your real passions full time? Dr. James Graham Cooper wrestled with the same problem after only two years of practicing medicine back in the early 1850's. He longed to return to the study of nature and its impact on human welfare. With the encouragement of the Smithsonian's Spencer Fullerton Baird, Cooper used his skills as a physician to join the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey in Washington state as a physician-naturalist from 1853 to late 1855. This kicked off a ten-year career as a pioneering naturalist. He made the leap.
Join other digital volunteers and scholars to transcribe his journal of daily details and specimen notes from this expedition.
Have you dreamed of leaving your job to pursue your real passions full time? Dr. James Graham Cooper wrestled with the same problem after only two years of practicing medicine back in the early 1850's. He longed to return to the study of nature and its impact on human welfare. With the encouragement of the Smithsonian's Spencer Fullerton Baird, Cooper used his skills as a physician to join the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey in Washington state as a physician-naturalist from 1853 to late 1855. This kicked off a ten-year career as a pioneering naturalist. He made the leap.
Join other digital volunteers and scholars to transcribe his journal of daily details and specimen notes from this expedition.
Dr. Cooper is regarded as a pioneer and innovator in the field of forest conservation. As a result of his field work and study, he produced two forest distribution maps in 1859 and 1861 while compiling an extensive catalog of North American forest trees. Across his career as a naturalist, he introduced 119 new zoological taxonomic names including new species of mollusks, insects, brachiopods, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals. His extensive collection of specimens, as well as his 145 papers and articles have been used to name new species. Over a century later, his insightful ideas about forests' relationship with the climate and their impact on human well-being have become valued by conservationists and climatologists.