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See For Yourself
image of Pinnacles National MonumentVisit some of the parks that George Wright dedicated his field work towards such as Pinnacles National Monument in California, or Wright Mountain at Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico, named after George Wright.
  George Melendez Wright - Father of Natural Resource Management

For Teachers
Where in the world is Tuzigoot? On-line teacher resources at Acadia National Park in cooperation with the George Wright Society.
Image of Tuzigoot National Monument



 Inside Story
In 1929 George Wright proposed that there be established a wildlife survey program for the National Park Service, which would be funded by him personally until the program's value could be demonstrated.


 Historic mage of George Wright
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image of a George Wright talking with a native woman People
Who was George Melendez Wright? Wright's contributions are distinguished by a keen perception of ecological problems: he recognized that, even then, protected areas were not biological islands that can stand aloof from the rest of the world. Importantly, he also grasped the significance of long-term human influences on the North American landscape. More people...
image of Yosemite National Park Places
In 1927 George Wright joined the National Park Service as assistant park naturalist at Yosemite National Park. George Melendez Wright was born in San Francisco, California, June 20, 1904. At the University of California, Berkeley, he majored in forestry. More places...
image of a Bison at Yellowstone National Park Stories
Preserving Nature in the National Parks details the growth and development of the park system during the 1920s, the rise of biological science within the Park Service, and the bureau's triumphs in recreational planning and development during the New Deal, the ideas of George Wright began to take shape. More stories...
image of a Thomas Moran painting in Yellowstone National Park
 Collections
Thomas Moran's vision of the Western landscape was critical to the creation of national parks. His pencil and watercolor field sketches and paintings captured the grandeur and documented the extraordinary terrain and natural features of great western landscapes. More collections...
Learn More
image of red rock country Preservation
In the tradition established George Wright, the Conservation Study Institute was established to help the Park Service and its partners stay in touch with the evolving field of conservation and develop more sophisticated partnerships and new tools and strategies. More preservation...
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image ofAbner Sprague

Homesteader and lodge keeper Abner Sprague was the first person to pay to enter Rocky Mountain National Park. His fee was $3.
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