Witmer Stone

Witmer Stone (September 22, 1866 – May 24, 1939) was an American ornithologist, botanist, and mammalogist. He worked for over 51 years in the Ornithology Department at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and served in multiple roles including as Director from 1925 to 1928. Stone was a founding member of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club in 1890 and established their periodical Cassinia. He served as editor of the American Ornithologists' Union's periodical The Auk from 1912 to 1936 and as president of the organization from 1920 to 1923. He was a member of multiple scientific societies and president of the American Society of Mammalogists and the Pennsylvania Audubon Society. He published several books and hundreds of articles on birds, flora, and mammals with a focus on Eastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.

The Witmer Stone Wildlife Sanctuary in Cape May Point, New Jersey, was established in 1935 by the National Audubon Society and named in his honor. He was posthumously awarded the Brewster Medal by the American Ornithologists' Union in 1939.

Early life and education Stone was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 22, 1866, to Anne Eveline (née Witmer) and Frederick Dawson Stone. He was raised in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia which bordered wooded areas and the Wingohocking Creek. Stone, along with his brother Frederick and neighborhood friends, loved to explore the woods and formed the "Wilson Natural Science Association", named in honor of the pioneering American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.

Stone graduated from Germantown Academy in 1883, and received an A.B. degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He inherited an ornithological specimens collection that had not been cared for properly since the death of John Cassin in 1869. His focus was ornithology, but Stone also had a good knowledge of crustaceans, insects, mollusks, reptiles and the local flora. The Dutch botanist Frans Stafleu stated that "Stone's concentration on ornithology was a definite loss for botany." Stone produced 20 botanical publications during his lifetime.

After a joint meeting of the Philadelphia and Torrey Botanical Clubs in Toms River, New Jersey, in early July 1900, Stone resolved to write a book on the flora of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Over the next decade Stone made hundreds of collecting trips to southern New Jersey. His research culminated in his publication of The Plants of Southern New Jersey in 1911. It has been described as "the only comprehensive floristic treatment for southern New Jersey and it continues to be used today ." in 1887. Stone was a founding member of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) in 1890. His role at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia allowed for the DVOC to meet at the academy. He founded the DVOC publication Cassinia and published multiple scientific papers, club activities and memorials. He authored the DVOC's The Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, published in 1894 and Bird Studies at Old Cape in 1937. He wrote The Birds of New Jersey, Their Nests and Eggs, published in 1909 and hundreds of other ornithological papers. He was president of the Pennsylvania Audubon Society and of the American Society of Mammalogists. This was an ornithological history of the New Jersey coast, with an emphasis on Cape May County, particularly the coastal areas. The bulk of the work consists of species accounts of all the birds that had been found in Cape May County at the time of the writing, with their historical occurrence in the state and notes on seasonality, habits, and behavior gleaned from Stone's notes and the records of fellow DVOC members. Stone dedicated Bird Studies at Old Cape May to his wife. Stone made frequent trips to Cape May, New Jersey, and it became his annual summer residence.

He died on May 23, 1939, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Legacy In 1935, the National Audubon Society leased 25 acres of land in Cape May Point, New Jersey, for the creation of a wild life sanctuary and named it the Witmer Stone Wild Life Sanctuary in his honor. The location of the sanctuary is ideal for birding as it attracts migratory birds of the eastern seaboard looking for cover and food as they await favorable winds to cross the Delaware Bay. The sanctuary expanded to 1,000 acres, however in 1941, a magnesite factory for the production of fire brick needed to produce steel for the war effort was located in the middle of the sanctuary. The emissions from the factory damaged the flora and fauna of the sanctuary and the lease and sanctuary were abandoned in 1959.

Stone was posthumously awarded the Brewster Medal by the American Ornithologists' Union in 1939.

In 1943, The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club established the Witmer Stone Award to recognize ornithological publications not conducted during professional duties.

Publications The Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Philadelphia: Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, 1894 American Animals - A Popular Guide to the Mammals of North America North of Mexico, With Intimate Biographies of the Most Familiar Species, New York: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1904 The Plants of Southern New Jersey; With Especial Reference to the Flora of the Pine Barrens and the Geographic Distribution of the Species, Creative Media Partners LLC, 1911 The Phylogenetic Value of Color Characters in Birds, Philadelphia, 1912 The Hawaiian Rat, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press, 1917 Bird Studies at Old Cape May, Dover Publications, 1937