Over a century ago, physician-naturalist James Graham Cooper (1830-1902) was immersed in nature studies along the Pacific coast of North America and beginning to formulate new ideas about the interrelationships between forests and climate. In the 1850's railroad companies were surveying new lands for transcontinental routes. Cooper joined the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey in 1853. Two years later he began is journey home from Washington state to the East Coast by way of Panama. Please help us transcribe his journal of observations noted during his return trip to make them more accessible to future researchers.
Over a century ago, physician-naturalist James Graham Cooper (1830-1902) was immersed in nature studies along the Pacific coast of North America and beginning to formulate new ideas about the interrelationships between forests and climate. In the 1850's railroad companies were surveying new lands for transcontinental routes. Cooper joined the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey in 1853. Two years later he began is journey home from Washington state to the East Coast by way of Panama. Please help us transcribe his journal of observations noted during his return trip to make them more accessible to future researchers.
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.
