Content Stats & Analytics for @evergladesnps

Everglades National Park
@evergladesnps

204,728 followers

"¿Sabías que? or “Did you know?” that George Meléndez Wright organized the first NPS study of wildlife at age 25, which he funded with his own money? An avid wildlife enthusiast at an early age, hiking in the hills of the San Francisco Bay Area, Wright was raised by a great aunt after losing both of his parents. Wright began working as a naturalist for the National Park Service (NPS) in 1927 and developed a plan for Yosemite’s wildlife biology. In 1928, despite being a newcomer to the NPS, Wright set out to create a wildlife biology plan for the service. He managed to gain permission by personally assuming all costs, including travel, equipment, and staff salaries. Using more than half of his inheritance from his deceased father, Wright funded his endeavor until July 1931, when the NPS funded a wildlife budget. In 1934, while serving as the head of the NPS Wildlife Division, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to lead the National Resources Board. He spent the next two years traveling to and researching areas where new national parks could be established, like Everglades National Park, which he visited in 1930 and again in 1935. In 1936, while traveling from the newly established Big Bend National Park in Texas to Arizona, an oncoming vehicle collided with Wright’s vehicle, killing both Wright and his passenger. At just 31, George Meléndez Wright’s institutional reforms rang loudly throughout the NPS as he ushered in a new era of wildlife conservation and resource management in the NPS. We invite you to explore Everglades National Park to experience the biodiversity and unique natural character that inspired Wright nearly 100 years ago! Photos courtesy of NPS Photo 1 - L to R R. W. Toll; Geo M. Wright, H. C. Bryant, others visiting Everglades NP by blimp. View of men standing under blimp; ground crew working on blimp; "Group of the blimp 'Resolute' on causeway launching. Photo 2 - Wright's portrait #MyParkStory #HispanicHeritageMonth #Everglades #EvergladesNationalPark