Photo Credit: Bryan Watts and Mitchell Byrd look for eagles as they travel along the James River in Hopewell in 2010. – Mark Gormus, Times-Dispatch
Photo: Bruce Parrker, Times-Dispatch
The James River Association (JRA) mourns the passing of former Board member and distinguished professor of conservation biology, Dr. Mitchell A. Byrd.
Over a remarkable 70-year career, Dr. Byrd had a tremendous impact on the conservation of many avian species, but was especially renowned for his work to study and protect the bald eagle. On the James River, he documented the low point of having no nesting bald eagles in 1976 and chronicled their resurgence to over 400 nesting pairs today, one of the densest breeding populations in the nation.
“We are grateful for Dr. Byrd’s many decades of dedication to science and to conservation of the James River,” said Bill Street, President and CEO of the James River Association. “Thanks to his efforts, millions of people living along the James River have the opportunity regularly to see bald eagles soaring overhead and to be inspired by their remarkable comeback. We are committed to continuing his legacy through our work protecting the James River and connecting people to it.”
Dr. Byrd’s legacy will live on in the continued recovery of the bald eagle and in the generations of scientists, conservationists, and students he inspired.
For more information about Dr. Byrd, you can read his obituary in The Richmond Times-Dispatch.