Meet Anna Botsford Comstock (1854 – 1930)

March is Women’s History Month and a good time to celebrate the vital role of women in shaping conservation and ecology. Anna Botsford Comstock grew up on her parents’ farm in New York and developed an appreciation for the wonder and beauty of the natural world. As an adult Anna turned her observant eye to illustrating the insects that she and her husband studied, drawing thousands of detailed pictures, for books they wrote together. After completing a degree in natural history in 1885, she started writing her own books, including The Handbook of Nature Study which is still considered a standard textbook today.

Comstock also broke new ground in the academic world, becoming the first female professor at Cornell University. She is also famous for designing the first outdoor nature studies program for children, taking science out of the classroom and into the natural world. Her method became the model for nature studies programs around the globe, helping to foster a new appreciation for the importance of conservation in the next generation.