Elizabeth Brown Losey (née Beard) (December 25, 1912 – 2005) was an American conservationist who is recognized as being the first female refuge biologist.

Education

Losey was born in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...

on December 25, 1912. She went to high school in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

. She graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

with a degree in

wildlife management Wildlife management is the management process influencing interactions among and between wildlife, its habitats and people to achieve predefined impacts. It attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best availabl ...

and conservation in 1946. Initially, Losey could not find work because she was a woman. She worked as a research assistant for the

until 1952. She created a series of teaching aids in wildlife management, including the ''Outline of upland game bird management'' (1947).

Career

In 1947 she was employed by the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

as a biologist at

Seney National Wildlife Refuge The Seney National Wildlife Refuge is a managed wetland in Schoolcraft County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It has an area of 95,212 acres (385 km2). It is bordered by M-28 and M-77. The nearest town of any size is Seney, Michigan. The ...

. Her assignment was to understand the importance of beavers in waterfowl management. Losey was the first woman research biologist in the country. She quit when she was told she was being transferred West, as by that time "romance had crept in". She was only employed by the agency for three years, but built up a successful career as an

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental m ...

recognized Losey's preparations for a manuscript on

trumpeter swan The trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator'') is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 185 to 250 cm (6 ft 2 in to 8 ft 2 ...

s as "an excellent job of organizing the material for an effective story". In 1964 she published her observation of duck broods at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Losey travelled America and Canada taking photographs of fur trading posts and collecting Native American art, which was later donated to the DeVos Art Museum in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Losey wrote two books. ''Let Them Be Remembered: The Story of the Fur Trade Forts'', the story of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

and the 1600 fur trade, was published in 1999. Her second, ''Seney National Wildlife Refuge: its story'', was published in 2003. She remained a volunteer at

until her death in 2005. She wrote her final peer-reviewed paper at the age of 92 on the history of the

Sharp-tailed Grouse The sharp-tailed grouse (''Tympanuchus phasianellus''), also known as the sharptail or fire grouse, is a medium-sized prairie grouse. One of three species in the genus ''Tympanuchus'', the sharp-tailed grouse is found throughout Alaska, much of N ...

, which was published after her death. She was a lifetime sponsor of

Delta Waterfowl Foundation Delta Waterfowl Foundation is a non-profit organization operating in both Canada and in the United States whose mission is to secure the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting. Delta provides knowledge, leaders, and science-based solutions th ...

. She is regarded as a pioneer in gender equality within fieldwork.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Losey, Elizabeth 1912 births 2005 deaths Women conservationists American conservationists American women biologists People from East Orange, New Jersey Scientists from New Jersey University of Michigan alumni 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women