Warden McLeod’s Heath Hen Report Federation of the Bird Clubs of New England Inc. 1925-1926 , 1925 - 1926

The heath hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido) is a now extinct subspecies of the greater prairie chicken. While at one point extremely common, the birds became locally extinct on the mainland and only existed on Martha's Vineyard by the late 1800s. The continuing decline was noticed by ornithologist Alfred Otto Gross, who reported his observations to the Federation of the Bird Clubs of New England in 1925. The Federation then took immediate action to try to preserve the remaining birds through public awareness and establishing a warden on Martha's Vineyard to protect the birds, which is documented in this collection through meeting minutes, letters, newspaper clippings, and reports of the wardens on Martha's Vineyard working to protect the heath hen and stop its many predators. Ultimately, the efforts failed and the last heath hen died in 1932.