Ralph K. Bell (BBC President 1972-73) 1915 ~ 2014
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Ralph was a member of the Jefferson Presbyterian Church, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), Fort Jackson Chapter, Greene County Soil Conservation; Brooks Bird Club; Ralph K. Bell Bird Club; Eastern Bird Banding Association; Izaak Walton League; Three Rivers Birding Club; Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology; Purple Martin Conservation Society, and many other organizations.
He founded the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (AFMO), September 18, 1958. AFMO is the oldest, continuous running bird banding station in North America. In 2002, on site at AFMO, Dolly Sods, West Virginia, the West Virginia Public Broadcasting System filmed a documentary about his founding of AFMO.
Ralph began studying birds around the age of 12, and kept records from that time on. He obtained his Bird Banding Master Permit in 1954. Over the years, he had 15 sub-permitees, whom he mentored for their bird banding permits. As of May 2013, he had had banded 142,255 birds, and had 1,481 recoveries of those birds.
Ralph was awarded the Pennsylvania Game Commission Certificate of Appreciation in 2006, in recognition of over 50 years of unparalleled service. The award praised "Your exemplary achievement in bird banding, bird research and providing homes for wildlife is truly inspirational to everyone who has a love and appreciation for the natural world."
In 1983 he received the John and Norah Lane Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Bluebird Conservation by an Individual" from the North American Bluebird Society. At that time, he monitored more than 250 bluebird nest boxes in Greene County, kept records of the results, and banded the nestlings and some adults.
Ralph was awarded the U.S. Department of Forest Service 2003 Volunteer Award of the Year for 46 years of outstanding dedication and service; the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology Earl Poole Award in 1998; the 2006 Purple Martin Preservation Alliance Award "for a lifetime of dedication to Purple Martin conservation in Western Pennsylvania."
He was Pennsylvania Envirothon leader for many years, and was ornithological leader for 46 years at the West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage at Blackwater Falls. He was the founder and leader of the Jefferson Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Greene County in December 1958 and continued compiling it for more than 50 years. He also contributed research to the first and second editions of the Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania.
Ralph lectured for more than 65 years on birds and nature to school children, civic groups, bird clubs, Boy Scouts, and many other organizations. He was interviewed on the radio in Pittsburgh and elsewhere as an expert on the subject of birds and other aspects of natural history.
He published more than 200 articles on birds and nature. From 1956 to 1975, he published articles in EBBA News for the Eastern Bird Banding Association and from 1964 to 1973 wrote a column in the newsletter titled "A Bird Bander's Diary." He also published articles in The Redstart and The Mailbag for the Brooks Bird Club for many years. He wrote a column titled "Bluebirds" for the Nature Society News in Griggsville, Illinois, and published articles in many other publications.
Ralph K. Bell, an internationally known ornithologist in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and far beyond, died on May 20, 2014, at the age of 99 in his Greene County, home.
He founded the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (AFMO), September 18, 1958. AFMO is the oldest, continuous running bird banding station in North America. In 2002, on site at AFMO, Dolly Sods, West Virginia, the West Virginia Public Broadcasting System filmed a documentary about his founding of AFMO.
Ralph began studying birds around the age of 12, and kept records from that time on. He obtained his Bird Banding Master Permit in 1954. Over the years, he had 15 sub-permitees, whom he mentored for their bird banding permits. As of May 2013, he had had banded 142,255 birds, and had 1,481 recoveries of those birds.
Ralph was awarded the Pennsylvania Game Commission Certificate of Appreciation in 2006, in recognition of over 50 years of unparalleled service. The award praised "Your exemplary achievement in bird banding, bird research and providing homes for wildlife is truly inspirational to everyone who has a love and appreciation for the natural world."
In 1983 he received the John and Norah Lane Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Bluebird Conservation by an Individual" from the North American Bluebird Society. At that time, he monitored more than 250 bluebird nest boxes in Greene County, kept records of the results, and banded the nestlings and some adults.
Ralph was awarded the U.S. Department of Forest Service 2003 Volunteer Award of the Year for 46 years of outstanding dedication and service; the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology Earl Poole Award in 1998; the 2006 Purple Martin Preservation Alliance Award "for a lifetime of dedication to Purple Martin conservation in Western Pennsylvania."
He was Pennsylvania Envirothon leader for many years, and was ornithological leader for 46 years at the West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage at Blackwater Falls. He was the founder and leader of the Jefferson Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Greene County in December 1958 and continued compiling it for more than 50 years. He also contributed research to the first and second editions of the Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania.
Ralph lectured for more than 65 years on birds and nature to school children, civic groups, bird clubs, Boy Scouts, and many other organizations. He was interviewed on the radio in Pittsburgh and elsewhere as an expert on the subject of birds and other aspects of natural history.
He published more than 200 articles on birds and nature. From 1956 to 1975, he published articles in EBBA News for the Eastern Bird Banding Association and from 1964 to 1973 wrote a column in the newsletter titled "A Bird Bander's Diary." He also published articles in The Redstart and The Mailbag for the Brooks Bird Club for many years. He wrote a column titled "Bluebirds" for the Nature Society News in Griggsville, Illinois, and published articles in many other publications.
Ralph K. Bell, an internationally known ornithologist in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and far beyond, died on May 20, 2014, at the age of 99 in his Greene County, home.