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The Institute

The Institute

In 1984, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History was founded in Peterson’s hometown of Jamestown, New York, as an educational institution charged with preserving Peterson’s lifetime body of work and making it available to the world for educational purposes. RTPI holds a Permanent Charter from the New York State Education Department and is a 501(c)(3) institution located at 311 Curtis St.

Project Wild America

Project Wild America

2015 marked the 60th Anniversary of Roger Tory Peterson’s book Wild America in which he and his close friend British naturalist James Fisher showed us that nature is everywhere – if you know when, where and how to look and listen. Last year also saw the start of RTPI’s Project Wild America intent on continuing that work. Various programs are currently under way in 2017 as part of Project Wild America, connecting people with nature in their own backyard.

Roger Tory Peterson

Roger Tory Peterson

Roger Tory Peterson was the pre-eminent American naturalist who illustrated and chronicled the natural world to the public in the 20th century. Over a long career that began with nature study in the seventh grade in Jamestown, New York, he observed, recorded and published for lay audiences the incredible beauty and diversity of plants and animals from North America and around the world.

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