Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom: Wildlife Conservation Pioneers
To my sons Devin and Ethan To my grandson Henry And to the future of all of our children
Contents 1 Meet Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom 1 2 Kestrels and Pollywogs 6 3 Hammy 16 4 Bug Woman and Bird Man 21 5 Welcome to Wisconsin 31 6 The Wildest of Wild Creatures 46 7 Family Life and the War Years 57 8 Boomers in the Spring 65 9 The Battle for the Chickens 75 10 Raptor Love 83 11 Those Who Capture the Doves 94 Appendix Fran and Frederick’s Time Line 105 Glossary 108 Reading Group Guide and Activities 115 To Learn More about Prairie Chickens and Other Endangered Species 117 Acknowledgments 118 Index 120 vii
I S E V H C R A Y L I M A F M O R T S R E M A H
1 Meet Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom Together we made the decision to burn our bridges behind us and take to a life as biologists in the wilderness Fran Hamerstrom In early spring the Buena Vista Grasslands in central Wisconsin is full of birds on the move Many species of birds come to the marsh to nest and raise a family Geese cranes and hawks fly overhead And prairie chickens roam the grasslands each one looking for a mate Every year students from all over Wisconsin come to the marsh to count the prairie chickens The students have been coming here for more than 70 years They watch the prairie chickens dance And they listen to the sound of the prairie chickens booming call species spee seez a group of similar plants or animals marsh an area of soft wet land with grasses and related plants 1
