Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg Rock

by Stephen W. Kress, Derrick Z. Jackson

Overview

The inspiring story of a young ornithologist who reintroduced puffins where none had been seen for a century  

Project Puffin is the inspiring story of how a beloved seabird was restored to long-abandoned nesting colonies off the Maine coast. As a young ornithology instructor at the Hog Island Audubon Camp, Dr. Stephen W. Kress learned that puffins had nested on nearby islands until extirpated by hunters in the late 1800s. To right this environmental wrong, he resolved to bring puffins back to one such island—Eastern Egg Rock. Yet bringing the plan to reality meant convincing skeptics, finding resources, and inventing restoration methods at a time when many believed in “letting nature take its course.”

Today, Project Puffin has restored more than 1,000 puffin pairs to three Maine islands. But even more exciting, techniques developed during the project have helped to restore rare and endangered seabirds worldwide. Further, reestablished puffins now serve as a window into the effects of global warming. The success of Dr. Kress’s project offers hope that people can restore lost wildlife populations and the habitats that support them. The need for such inspiration has never been greater.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300219791
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	05/24/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Stephen W. Kress is the National Audubon Society’s Vice President for Bird Conservation and director of the Audubon Seabird Restoration Program and Hog Island Audubon Camp. Derrick Z. Jackson, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary and an accomplished photographer, is a contributing columnist at the Boston Globe. He lives in Cambridge, MA.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: My Passion for Puffins 1

1 Chasing Skinks 8

2 Ghosts of the Gallery 27

3 My Judge and Drury 58

4 A Suitcase of Puffins 67

5 Massacre to Miracle 90

6 Soaked Sod and Puffin Condos 114

7 Waiting 138

8 Triumph or Tragedy? 170

9 Puffin … with Fish! 188

10 Roger's Rogue Wave 200

11 Filling the Ark 210

12 Project Puffin Goes Global 228

13 Reconsidering the Balance of Nature 271

14 My Skink, Christina's Ducks, and Juliet's Tern Concerto 296

Notes 327

Bibliography 333

Index 341

Editorial Reviews

Engaging. . . . Here is one of the great success stories of conservation. The verdict: Of interest to birders, natural history buffs, New Englanders, conservationists, and environmentalists.”—Henry T. Armistead, Library Journal

“Readers who love the nitty-gritty of conservation will get a good flavor of it here.”—Bob Holmes, New Scientist

“A well-told drama.”—Natural History

“Kress and Jackson present a ripping yarn. . . . A fine read.”—Iain J. Stenhouse, The Condor

“A story that is, at its heart, about how a kid from Ohio accomplished one of the biggest conservation victories of our time.”—BirdWatching

“Kress’s achievement is impressive both as a conservation victory and as an example of personal devotion and patience. . . . [His] charm and wit bring the project to life.”—Thomas Urquhart, Portland Press-Herald

“Project Puffin documents how one determined scientist with a real passion for the region, its ecology, its history, and its birdlife, can accomplish the reality of bringing back a species with a highly complex life history. It is exactly what lay readers and students need to read in order to begin to understand what conservation science actually is. And it is really fun (and I daresay inspiring) to read.”—John Kricher, author of The Balance of Nature and A Neotropical Companion

“A story of struggle and hope, and an inspiration to future wildlife stewards.”—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle

“An inspiring book on Stephen Kress’s dream of re-introducing puffins to an island where man had eradicated them. A brilliant case study of how drive and enthusiasm can overcome problems.”—Mike P. Harris, coauthor of The Puffin

“The world needs more people like Steve Kress, whose singular commitment and passion—dedication to one bird at one island—has had a global impact. This book brings his story wonderfully and personally to life. I’m sure it will inspire and encourage a new generation of caretakers of the natural world.”—David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guides

“Restoring puffins to Maine has been a glorious, four-decades obsession for Steve Kress—one underpinned by plenty of stubbornness and grit, as this frank retelling of Project Puffin’s remarkable history makes clear. And thank goodness for that tenacity, because the techniques he pioneered on Eastern Egg Rock are today helping endangered seabirds around the world. This is the compelling story of the messy, uncertain, ultimately uplifting work of real conservation.”—Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind

From the Publisher

Kress’s achievement is impressive both as a conservation victory and as an example of personal devotion and patience. . . . .[His] charm and wit bring the project to life.”—Thomas Urquhart, Portland Press-Herald

Portland Press-Herald - Thomas Urquhart

A well-told drama.”—Natural History magazine

Natural History magazine

The world needs more people like Steve Kress, whose singular commitment and passion—a dedication to one bird at one island—has had a global impact. This book brings his story wonderfully and personally to life. I’m sure it will inspire and encourage a new generation of caretakers of the natural world.”—David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guides

David Sibley

Project Puffin documents how one determined scientist with a real passion for the region, its ecology, its history, and its birdlife, can accomplish the reality of bringing back a species with a highly complex life history.  It is exactly what lay readers and students need to read in order to begin to understand what conservation science actually is.  And it is really fun (and I daresay inspiring) to read.”—John Kricher, author of The Balance of Nature and A Neotropical Companion

John Kricher

A story that is, at its heart, about how a kid from Ohio accomplished one of the biggest conservation victories of our time.”—BirdWatching magazine

BirdWatching magazine

A story of struggle and hope, and an inspiration to future wildlife stewards.”—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle

Richard Louv

Restoring puffins to Maine has been a glorious, four-decades obsession for Steve Kress—one underpinned by plenty of stubbornness and grit, as this frank retelling of Project Puffin's remarkable history makes clear. And thank goodness for that tenacity, because the techniques he pioneered on Eastern Egg Rock are today helping endangered seabirds around the world. This is the compelling story of the messy, uncertain, ultimately uplifting work of real conservation.”—Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind

Scott Weidensaul

An inspiring book on Stephen Kress's dream of re-introducing puffins to an island where man had eradicated them. A brilliant case study of how drive and enthusiasm can overcome problems.”—Mike P. Harris, co-author of The Puffin

Mike P. Harris

Readers who love the nitty-gritty of conservation will get a good flavor of it here.”—Bob Holmes, New Scientist

New Scientist - Bob Holmes

Kress and Jackson present a ripping yarn. . . a fine read.”—Iain J. Stenhouse, The Condor

The Condor - Iain J. Stenhouse