About the Roger Tory Peterson Memorial Lecture and Medal
The Roger Tory Peterson Memorial Lecture was established by the Harvard Museum of Natural History in 1997. The lecture celebrates and preserves Roger Tory Peterson's tireless efforts to conserve the planet's biological diversity, and honors his work as a pioneering naturalist.

Peterson is the author of the legendary Peterson Field Guide to Birds, the first in a series of modern field guides. He has been credited with doing more than any other American of the 20th century to kindle in the public a widespread interest and concern for the natural world. His extraordinary impact is reflected in the modern day proliferation of field guides, education programs, and environmental protection laws that stem from his advocacy and education work.

Image: Harvard Museum of Natural History

Past recipients of the medal:

2006: David T. Suzuki

"Homo Sapiens: Out of Balance with Nature"

2005: Robert Bateman

"Birds: Flagships for the Planet"

2004: Sir David Attenborough

"Bird Artists and Artist Birds: Plumes and Bowers in New Guinea"

2003: Peter Matthiessen

2002: Richard E. Leakey

"National Parks: Do they have a place in conservation strategies for the 21st century?"

2001: Bruce Babbitt

2000: Paul R. Ehrlich

1999: Jared M. Diamond

1997: Edward O. Wilson