Who was Thomas (Tom) Rogers?

16 May 2012 4:34 PM | Anonymous
For those that have been with the DHNAA for many ... many years, this will be a name that you recognize. Those that have joined in the last decade or less, this may not be a name that you know.

Besides being the founder of what is the Dishman Hills Natural Area Association, be was a man that dedicated himself to maintaining a portion of Spokane in its native state. While trying to learn more about him myself, I came across an article published in Aug 1995 that I would like to share.


Thomas H. Rogers:

A lifetime of achievement

by Warren Hall

 

Tom Rogers has had a long and noteworthy career both as an educator and as a concerned naturalist, one who recognized years ago that to save wildlife it is necessary to conserve habitat.

 

Tom moved from Montana to Washington and began teaching at Libby Mountain High School, where I first made contact with him through his editorship of Audubon Field Notes. His name became synonymous with the Northern Rocky Mountain- Intermountain Region, for which he served as editor for nearly 20 years (volumes 25 through 43).

 

After coming to Spokane in 1957, he taught at University High School until his retirement. I got to know him personally when he joined the Spokane Bird Club (predecessor of the Spokane Audubon Society). He has been an active member, leading field trips and coordinating a section of the Christmas Bird Count circle, among other services.

 

Tom has worked on Breeding Bird Surveys in eastern Washington, contributes to Washington and Montana Bird Atlas programs, and continues his lati-long studies of bird distribution. He is a member of the National Audubon Society, the Washington Ornithological Society, the Washington Native Plant Society, and perhaps most significantly, The Nature Conservancy.

 

Tom worked diligently with the Conservancy, the Spokane County Parks Department, and the Dishman Hills Association to set aside a significant portion of native habitat, now known as the Dishman Hills Natural Area, adjacent to a rapidly developing metropolitan area. Protection of Dishman Hills began in 1966 when 80 acres were purchased with the help of The Nature Conservancy. The original loan has since been fully repaid by private donations, while an additional 210 acres have been added. Protection of another 225 acres of the Dishman Hills is in the works.

 

Many people have aided his efforts over the years, but Tom has always been the prime motivator. He has led many field trips into the Hills to familiarize local youth and the community at large with the diversity of plant and animal life in one small piece of native habitat. Tom believes that amateur naturalists can gain an intimate knowledge of an area, then work to protect it; he has set an example.

 

For his determination to maintain a portion of Spokane in its native state, for his lifetime commitment to the education of youth, and for his long-term involvement with the birds and birders of Washington and beyond, Tom has earned the first Washington Ornithological Society Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

Reference:

WOS News 38, (Aug 1995) by Warren Hall,  Retrieved from http://www.wos.org/issue38.pdf


Comments

  • 21 Jun 2012 10:14 AM | Anonymous
    For those that are current dues paid members of the DHNAA with an on-line account created, you can access the Lights and Shadows Newsletter archives under "Members Only" to the left of the site. Once there, the September 1999 newsletter is dedicated to the memorial of Thomas Rogers after his passing.
    Link
    • 26 Jun 2012 10:12 PM | Anonymous
      With the Dishman Hills Natural Area Association (now transitioning to be called Dishman Hills Conservancy) nomination made for naming the new 269 acres acquired in April 2012 after Tom Rogers, the effort is one to ensure the community is aware of who he was. The below story is taken from the June 2012 edition of our Lights and Shadows newsletter.

      "New natural land acquisitions this spring by the Dishman Hill Conservancy (DHC) and Spokane Co. has resulted in a stand-alone block of conservation and open space lands for which we would like to recognize with a new name. Since our contribution to make this happen was $258,313.81, Spokane County has invited us to propose a name and our Board has forwarded our choice to them, the Tom Rogers Conservation Area. While many of you did know Tom, many others have not, and the following is a summary of why we think the choice is a good one.

      Tom Rogers was there to lead the first hike into the Hills of conservation supporters in that cool spring day in 1966. Teaching biology at University High School, he had already conducted many hikes in the Hills with students. The spring hike started the ball rolling and soon after, the Association was formed with Tom as the first President. An excerpt from a letter from Tom, dated 1968, states well his reasons moving ahead to save the Hills: “At first I took the area for granted but it soon became apparent that it would eventually be developed for housing. After trying for several summers to plant the north-sloping fill of Valley Mission Park with native trees, schrubs, grasses, and flowers, I realized how very difficult is the restoration of a despoiled area and decided to set my sights a bit higher and work to save our natural areas close to town where people live. At first the idea of acquiring the Dishman Hills to protect them looked like a hopeless job but soon it was apparent that other people saw the value of saving them”

      Tom was an active member of Audubon, and the Washington Native Plant societies as well as the Nature Conservancy, from which came the funds for our first land purchase in 1968. For the next three decades Tom was a leader in land acquisition and conservation projects, education programs, and he worked tirelessly with government agencies to assure that urban growth included the saving of our nature spaces. He felt that the Association should be a “grass roots” organization supported by donations and volunteers from all parts of our community. He wanted the people to be connected to the Dishman Hills in a real way. He had a faith that support would appear for the varying projects over the years. Tom organized bake sales, a recycling program, car washes, event displays, public hikes, and numerous donation campaigns. A letter from Helen Lininger, long time DHC member, described Tom as “impressive in his tenacity, determination, and commitment to the project, and his singleness of purpose--- all who knew him will remember him in their own way. For the most part he will have added something positive to each life he touched.” When things went wrong Tom got tough, and County Commissioners know what they were in for when he got up to testify on issues concerning the Dishman Hills. But at heart, Tom was a biologist, a teacher, and a naturalist, rather that an activist. His biolist of the Natural Area, and of Tower Mountain are truly impressive, listing scientifically all the plant, insect, and animal species to document the biodiversity. His listing of endangered and threaten species was instrumental in bringing Washington State into the Natural Area as a land owner. He was a bird watcher and loved butterflies.

      In short, Tom Rogers embodies what conservation in our Spokane community is all about, the saving of a precious asset for all to experience, to learn from and to be inspired by the marvelous wonders of nature. Thus it seems entirely appropriate to leave for future generations a reminder of T.R. in the name of the new conservation area."
      Link


PO Box 8536
Spokane, WA 99203

(509) 598-0003

RUTH GIFFORD
Executive Director
ED@DishmanHills.org


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