Zella McMannama Schultz (1920-1974) was a field ornithologist in Washington State. She grew up in Everson, Washington and graduated from Western Washington College in 1946 before becoming a teacher on Lopez Island. She received her master's degree in Zoology from the University of Washington in 1953. Schultz was an Audubon Field Notes regional editor in the 1950s and was the first state coordinator of the Breeding Bird Survey, an avian monitoring program to track the status and trends of bird populations in North America. Her pioneer work in bird paintings were used as illustrations for a number of books including "Familiar Birds of the Northwest" by Harry B. Nehls and "Washington Birds" by Earl Larrison. In 1953, she was commissioned to make 72 oil paintings of various birds; the resulting slides were used extensively in public schools.
Schultz's expertise was in gull plumage and she wrote extensively on the Glaucous-winged Gull, studying a colony of these birds on Protection Island and making detailed observations of their daily life. Along with Eleanor Stopps, Schultz participated in bird-banding expeditions to track the Gulls. Protection Island is located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca north of Discovery Bay in northeastern Jefferson County, Washington. This island has been recognized by biologists for its importance as a wild-bird nesting colony. There were threats to the island's birds during Schultz's lifetime with various real estate and development plans.
Schultz died in 1974 due to complications from a childhood disease and Stopps vowed to continue her conservation work. The same month Schultz died, the Nature Conservancy bought the western end of the island and re-sold it to the Washington State Game Department. This 48-acre area was named The Zella M. Schultz Seabird Sanctuary and is the state's first non-game sanctuary. With the help of Stopps efforts including lobbying, letter writing, and gathering support from a large, diverse constituency, Protection Island was made a National Wildlife Refuge in 1982.
Sources: Washington Ornithological Society newsletter, Port Townsend Marine Science Center Octopress newsletter, Port Townsend Marine Science Center website, Western Reports newsletter from Western Washington University
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Sketches of birds, birding notebooks from trips in Washington State, Drafts, notes, photographs, diagrams, articles, specimen data, correspondence, feather references, and other ephemera related to Schultz's work on the Glaucous-winged Gull.
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