For the Love of Nature
by Carole and William Finley III
The Finleys were one of America’s great, early twentieth-century environmental protectionists and conservationists. This book chronicles the professional work of William Lovell Finley and his wife and lifelong partner, Irene, as well as Finley’s partnership with fellow conservationist, Herman Bohlman. It is a factual story of their risky adventures, interwoven with personal anecdotes and humor, drawn from historical accounts and their own notebooks and photographs.
In 1899, while attending the University of California, Berkeley, Finley fell in love with Nellie Irene Barnhart. In 1906, they were married. Nellie Irene changed her name to Irene Barnhart Finley and became her husband’s lifelong partner in his wildlife and conservation aspirations.
From 1887 to 1906, Finley and his friend Herman Theodore Bohlman photographed and documented the life studies of birds from mating to hatching to full flight. Their lectures and unparalleled patience to get the perfect photograph earned them the respect of ornithology professionals throughout the field.
Well–known naturalists, ornithologists, and presidents of the United States all praised their work. Their photographs and documentation of devastation by the plume hunters convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to issue executive orders that established The Three Arch Rocks and Lower Klamath and Lake Malheur Federal Bird Reservations in 1907 and 1908, respectively.
The Finleys lived in Jennings Lodges, Oregon, and from 1911 through 1919, William Finley served as Oregon’s first state game warden and biologist. Irene assisted William in promoting wildlife conservation through their travels, articles, photography, books, and lectures. The Finleys touched the lives of thousands and thousands of individuals in the United States and abroad. The issues they encountered throughout their lives are just as prevalent today as they were then.
In recognition of Finley’s contributions to Oregon, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge in the Willamette Valley in 1966.
