CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ARCHIVES
The Papers of M. Graham Netting
Processed by Joshua A. Britton, April, 2006
Collection Number:
2006-3
Title:
The Papers of M. Graham Netting
Inclusive Dates:
1925-1979 [Bulk 1950-1977]
Creator:
M. Graham Netting
Extent:
This collection comprises 6.0 linear feet
Repository:
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
calleryb@CarnegieMNH.org
Abstract:
This collection contains material compiled by former Carnegie Museum of Natural
History Herpetology Curator and later Director Morris Graham Netting. The collection is
directly related to his professional interests and affiliations, and ranges in date from the
period immediately after Netting’s graduation with a Master’s degree in zoology from the
University of Michigan in 1929 to 1983, well after his retirement from the museum and
professional life. The majority of the collection deals with Netting’s lifelong interest in
conservation, and the work he did with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC),
serving on its Board of Governors almost continuously from 1950-1980, and The Nature
Conservancy (TNC), with which he was also active in its Board of Governors and various
committees for three decades. The files contain annotated minutes from Board of
Governors and committee meetings, material relating to projects sponsored by both
organizations, newspaper clippings on conservation matters, financial records and
correspondence both to and from Netting on various conservation matters. Also of
interest is the material relating to Netting’s membership in the American Society of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), which Netting maintained until his retirement.
This series includes details of Netting’s work both as the Secretary and later President of
the ASIH, his service on various ASIH committees, and correspondence relating to
Society matters. The rest of the collection contains largely incomplete records of
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Netting’s other associations, including the Allegheny Conference on Community
Development (ACCD), the Society for Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), the
Cook Forest Association (CFA), The National Science for Youth Foundation (NSFY) and
the Herpetological League (THL).
Acquisition Information:
Left in Museum Annex by M. Graham Netting.
Preferred Citation:
The M. Graham Netting Papers, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 2006-3
Access Restrictions:
The collections of the museum shall be available for examination and study by any
qualified individual under the normal museum security procedures and other special
procedures established by the section for the protection of the specific collection.
Copyright:
Property rights reside with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. For information
about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Bernadette Callery, Museum
Librarian at the address listed above.
Biographical Sketch:
Morris Graham Netting was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on October 3, 1904. His
childhood, spent outdoors, and particularly in Frick Park, first introduced Netting to the
natural world and would inspire the young man’s interest in both zoology and
conservation. Following his graduation from Peabody High School, Netting enrolled at
the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Science
while working part-time at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
It was in the herpetology section of the Carnegie Museum where Netting would find his
calling. Netting worked as student assistant there, and he would study herpetology more
closely in his undergraduate work at the University of Pittsburgh. After his graduation
from the University of Pittsburgh in 1925, he became the full-time Assistant Curator of
Herpetology at the Museum, the first full-time herpetologist to be employed by the
museum. He joined the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) a
few years later, in 1928.
After taking an eight month leave of absence from the Museum to obtain a Master’s
degree in Zoology at the University of Michigan in 1929, Netting returned to the
Museum, where, after being promoted to Curator in 1931, he concentrated on expanding
the Museum’s herpetological holdings. To this end, he made many study trips, visiting
central America, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Appalachia region of West Virginia. The
salamanders of Appalachia became a particular fascination for Netting; he was directly
responsible for the discovery of the previously unknown Ravine Salamander, Plethodon
richmond, in 1938, and the scientific name of the Cheat Mountain Salamander, Plethodon
nettingi, attests to his influence in this field.
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Additionally, Netting was becoming more prominent within the American Society of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. He was elected as the ASIH’s secretary in 1931, a post
he would hold for the next seventeen years. Netting’s duties as secretary involved taking
the minutes of each board meeting as well as the yearly general meeting of members.
Netting was also responsible for responding to requests for back issues of the ASIH’s
scholarly journal Copeia, and in this capacity, Netting corresponded with governmental
agencies, colleges and universities and museums from not just across the United States,
but also Austria, Australia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, India and Sweden. Netting
was also deeply involved in an ASIH initiative to standardize the ‘common’ names of
many American reptiles, as well as being a member of the publications, membership and
nominations committees.
In 1949, Netting would become the Assistant Director of the Carnegie Museum and
would largely suspend his academic research due to his administrative duties. He would
remain active in the ASIH, however, acting as the society’s president from 1948-1950,
and remaining a member of the ASIH’s Board of Governors until the mid 1980s.
Netting also became deeply concerned with conservation matters, and to that end, became
involved in the Greater Pittsburgh Parks Association, which would become the Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) in 1951. Netting served as the WPC’s secretary from
1950-1982 and would remain a Director until his death in 1996. In his dual role as
Secretary and Director, Netting produced most of the ‘Conservancy Comments’
newsletters which preceded the WPC’s Water, Land and Life journal, he served as
chairman of the nominating committee and was instrumental in the hiring of Joshua C.
Whetzel Jr., who served as the WPC’s president from 1969-1978. Netting also served as
a member of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development’s Recreation,
Conservation and Parks Council (RCPC), which worked closely with the WPC in
preserving natural areas in western Pennsylvania.
Netting also became a director of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 1952, shortly after
its founding and would serve until 1979, with stints as Conservancy Vice-President from
1965-1966 and Vice-Chairman from 1966-1970. He would assist in the development of
many projects, most notably the Northern California Coastal Range Preserve, and would
serve as a Chairman of the Science Committee and a long-standing member of the
Nominations Committee. In 1980, he was elected Governor emeritus and awarded the
Conservancy’s highest honor, The Oak Leaf Award.
Among the other honors Netting accrued during his long career in conservation was
being a delegate to the First World Conference on National Parks in Seattle in 1962 and
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in Nairobi, Kenya in 1963, being
named as ‘Conservationist of the Year’ for 1978 by the Allegheny County Conservation
District, as well as being nominated for the National American Motors Conservationist of
the Year award in 1978. Also, two of Netting’s articles about conservation, “The
Conscience of a Conservationist” and “Conservation Commandments” have become
famous, being reprinted in several foreign languages as well as most of the major nature
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publications in the United States. These articles make up a small part of Netting’s
scholarship, who was a very prolific author, publishing over sixty professional articles in
his career.
However, perhaps Netting’s most lasting legacy is the Powdermill Nature Reserve, which
was established during his tenure as Director from 1954-1975. The idea of a nature
reserve that would allow for field research by museum staff as well as an opportunity for
hands-on learning was one that Netting first conceived of in 1948. However, it was not
until 1956, when the Museum received a gift of eleven tracts of land from the Mellon and
Scaife families, that that idea could become a reality. Today, Powdermill is still thriving,
and is considered one of the premier bird-banding stations in North America.
Following his retirement from the Carnegie Museum, Netting and his wife Jane retired to
the Powdermill Nature Reserve, where Netting continued to be involved with
conservation and he participated in research studies concerning the box and wood turtles
on the Reserve.
Netting died on August 26, 1996 of complications from a stroke, leaving behind a
significant legacy of conservation, scholarship and interest in the natural world.
Scope and Content Notes:
The M. Graham Netting papers are made up of diverse material ranging from the early
days of Netting’s career as a herpetologist to well after his retirement as Director of the
Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The collection is made up primarily of material
detailing Netting’s professional affiliations, and is arranged by the purpose of the
material. These files contain administrative records that Netting would have had access
to as an officer/Director/Governor of these societies and organizations, agendas,
correspondence, financial records and reports, a set of keys to the WPC headquarters,
meeting minutes, checks and money orders for back issues of Copeia, publications by the
various organizations represented within the collection, and details of various
organizational projects that Netting was involved in. Correspondence is generally
arranged chronologically.
Of particular note are meeting minutes for the WPC’s Board of Directors. These were
prepared by Netting himself as part of his duties as the WPC’s secretary and provide a
good basis of understanding of how the WPC operated. Unfortunately, these records are
somewhat incomplete, as records of meetings for several years were not in the papers
processed. The specific gap for these records begins at 1962 and ends around 1969.
Researchers interested in the complete records of the WPC’s Board of Directors minutes
are directed to the M. Graham Netting Papers Collection at the Heinz History Center of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Also of interest is the file unit in TNC series where in a letter to a member of the WPC,
Netting explains that TNC and the WPC act as two separate autonomous agencies, and
indeed, the WPC predates TNC by a year. Netting goes on to describe how the two
4
organizations collaborate and support one another wherever possible. This information
will be useful to researchers seeking to define the relationship between these two
organizations.
The major weakness of this collection is the lack of material regarding Netting’s work
with the Museum itself. There is one pamphlet for a “Deadline for Wildlife” exhibition
that the Museum displayed in 1953, but beyond that, nothing regarding Netting’s
museum work exists within this collection. There is also a dearth of material regarding
Netting’s personal interests and affiliations. Some of this material may be found at the
Heinz History Center of Pittsburgh, PA.
There is also the problem previously mentioned of some of the records within this
collection being incomplete. The Annual Meetings and Board of Governors subseries in
the ASIH series, the Board of Governors, Finances and Membership subseries in TNC
series and the Board of Directors subseries in the WPC series all have significant gaps in
years covered by the documents in the files. The ASIH subseries gaps seem to be
primarily concentrated in the 1940s and 1950s, while the gaps in the subseries of the
WPC and TNC series seem to date from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s.
Conservation Notes:
By and large, the collection is in good condition. Notable exceptions include newspaper
clippings that had to remain folded to fit within the file folders and letters that
accompanied these newspaper clippings that suffered acid migration damage from being
filed together. Photocopies have been made of both the clippings and the letters and
housed separately.
Series Descriptions:
Series 1: Allegheny Conference on Community Development (ACCD). This series
collects material related to Netting’s participation in the ACCD between the years 1951
to 1956, including records of meetings, projects and fundraisers and correspondence
between various council members. Major subseries are Finances and Parks, Recreation,
Conservation and Parks Council (RCPC).
Series 2: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH). This series
contains details of Netting’s professional membership in the ASIH, ranging in date from
1930 until 1979. This series includes Board of Directors information, committee records,
correspondence, financial records, meeting agendas and minutes, requests for back issues
of Copeia and copies of ASIH publications. Prominent subseries are: Annual Meeting
Records, Board of Governors records, Committee Records, Copeia Back Issue Requests,
and ASIH Pamphlets.
Series 3: Carnegie Museum Exhibit, 1953. A pamphlet for the Carnegie Museum exhibit
“Deadline for Wildlife” dealing with endangered species from 1953.
5
Series 4: The Cook Forest Association (CFA)- A bound volume collecting the minutes of
the CFA’s Board of Directors meetings from 1925-1956.
Series 5: The Herpetological League, 1950-1951 (THL). This series contains information
dating from the early 1950s soliciting Netting to join THL. Material includes a
description of Herpetologica, THL’s professional journal and a membership form.
Series 6: National Science for Youth Foundation, 1962 (NSYF). A letter announcing and
inviting Netting to the NSFY’s annual meeting for that year.
Series 7: The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Making up the majority of the collection, this
series includes Board of Directors reports, committee reports, correspondence, financial
records, meeting agendas and project reports. This series contains material starting in
1952 and ending in 1979. Subseries include: Board of Governors, Brochures, Chapters
and Affiliates, Committees, Finances, Membership, Natural Areas, Newsletters, Projects,
Publicity.
Series 8: Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 1954. Contains a reprint from the
Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, containing Netting’s “Conscience
of a Conservationist” article.
Series 9: Philadelphia Academy of Science, 1956. A flyer for the Fall 1956 educational
programs of the Philadelphia Academy of Science, featuring several conservation
programs.
Series 10: Pioneer Crafts Festival, 1972. A registration form for the Ligonier,
Pennsylvania Summer Pioneer Crafts Festival for 1972.
Series 11: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), 1971. This series
includes an abstract for a symposium for the 1971 Annual Meeting of the SSAR in
Albuquerque, NM. Also includes an itinerary for a study trip in Albuquerque and a city
guide.
Series 12: Trip to the Western United States- An undated itinerary describing a two week
trip to Montana, Idaho, Colorado and other Western United States. Also includes a handwritten version of the itinerary and an incomplete handwritten expense report. It is
unclear whether this trip was Museum related, Professional Association related, or simply
a vacation.
Series 13: The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC). The second largest series in
the collection, spanning the dates 1952-1979. It includes committee records,
correspondence, employment records, financial data, lobbying details, meeting agendas
and minutes, newspaper and magazine clippings, program reports and project reports of
the WPC. Subseries are: Board of Directors, Brochures, Committees, Finances, Land
Transfer Agreements, Lobbying, Programs, Projects, and Publicity.
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Finding Guide:
Box 1
Series 1: Allegheny Conference on Community Development (ACCD)
1. ACCD Roundtable (1953)
2. ACCD Correspondence (1953-1956)
Subseries 1: ACCD Finances
Subseries Note: Netting would have had access to this material due to his placement on
the ACCD Roundtable and on the Recreation, Conservation and Parks Council, the main
subcommittee of the ACCD.
3.
4.
5.
6.
ACCD Finances- Budgets (1954-1956)
ACCD Finances- Donations (1956)
ACCD Finances- Horticultural Fund (1953-1956)
ACCD Finances- Treasurer’s Report (1953)
End Subseries 1
7. ACCD Flower Shows (1953-1956)
8. ACCD Newspaper Clippings (1954-1956)
Subseries 2: Recreation, Conservation and Parks Council (RCPC)
Subseries Note: The RCPC was a subcommittee of the ACCD, and most of Netting’s
energy was concentrated here.
9. RCPC Correspondence (1953-1956)
10. RCPC Curtiss-Wright Facility (1955)
11. RCPC Hillside Redevelopment (1955)
12. RCPC Meetings (1953-1956)
13. RCPC Mount Washington Billboards (1954-1955)
14. RCPC “Planning and Civic Comment” Journal (1955)
15. RCPC Point Park Regulations (ND)
16. RCPC Programming Questions (1951; 1953)
17. RCPC Squaw Run Harbor (1953)
End Subseries 2
Box 2
Series 2: American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)
18. ASIH Affiliation with the American Institute of Biological Sciences (1952-1953)
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Subseries 1: ASIH Annual Meetings
Subseries Note: Both file units in this subseries have large gaps in their content and must
be considered largely incomplete. The years included in each file unit are cited
parenthetically after the file unit name.
19. ASIH Annual Meetings- Agendas (1932; 1939; 1944; 1947; 1960-1963; 1969;
1974-1978)
20. ASIH Annual Meetings- Symposium Abstracts (1942; 1946-1947; 1957)
End Subseries 1
Subseries 2: ASIH Board of Governors
Subseries Note: Like the previous subseries, the material here has gaps and is considered
largely incomplete. The years included in this collection are the dates following the file
unit names.
21. ASIH Board of Governors- Correspondence (1949-1962; 1974)
22. ASIH Board of Governors- Meeting Agendas (1953-1969)
23. ASIH Board of Governors- Meeting Agendas (1970-1972; 1974; 1977-1978)
End of Subseries 2
Box 3
Series 2: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (cont)
24. ASIH Catalogue of Amphibians and Reptiles (1962)
Subseries 3: ASIH Committees
25. ASIH Committees- Distingushed Fellows Selection (1965)
26. ASIH Committees- 50th Anniversary (1961-1963)
27. ASIH Committees- Fish Classification (1949-1950)
28. ASIH Committees- Herpetological Common Names (1954-1955)
29. ASIH Committees- Membership (1949)
30. ASIH Committees- Nomenclature (1949-1951)
31. ASIH Committees- Nomination (1950; 1959)
32. ASIH Committees- Publications (1951-1952)
33. ASIH Committees- Traffic of Noxious Animals (1963)
End of Subseries 3
34. ASIH Constitution (ND; 1952; 1972)
Subseries 4- Copeia Back Issue Requests
35. ASIH Copeia Back Issue Requests- Businesses (1938-1948)
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36. ASIH Copeia Back Issue Requests- Government Agencies (1940-1950)
37. ASIH Copeia Back Issue Requests- Museums (1933-1950)
38. ASIH Copeia Back Issue Requests- Personal (1938-1950)
39. End of Subseries 4
40. ASIH Copeia Research Award (1948)
41. ASIH Financial Records (1951-1953; 1957)
42. ASIH Officer List (1950)
43. ASIH Membership Correspondence (1949-1954)
44. ASIH Membership Lists (1948; 1975)
Subseries 5 ASIH Pamphlets
45. ASIH Pamphlets- “Career Opportunities for the Ichthyologist” (ND)
46. ASIH Pamphlets- “Career Opportunities for the Herpetologist” (ND)
47. ASIH Pamphlets- “Herpetofauna of Costa Rica” (ND)
48. ASIH Pamphlets- “The Beetles and Reptiles of Cheboygan” (ND)
End of Subseries 5
49. ASIH Vernacular Names Project Manuscript (ND)
Series 3: Carnegie Museum Exhibits
50. CME Pamphlet- “Deadline for Wildlife” (1954)
Series 4: Cook Forest Association (CFA)
51. CFA Bound Volume of Board of Directors Meeting Minutes (1925-1956)
Series 5: The Herpetological League (THL)
52. THL Herpetologica Solicitation and Subscription Form (1951)
Series 6: National Science for Youth Foundation (NSYF)
53. NSYF Membership Form (ND)
Box 4
Series 7: The Nature Conservancy(TNC)
53. TNC American Land Trust (1976-1978)\
54. TNC American Motors Conservation Award (1977)
55. TNC Annual Presidential Report (1960;1963;1967)
9
Subseries 1: TNC Board of Governors
Subseries Note: Like the Board of Governors subseries in the ASIH main series, there are
many gaps in the collection of minutes from various Board of Governors Meetings. The
years each file unit does cover are mentioned in the dates following the file unit name.
56. TNC Board of Governors- Executive Committee Meetings (1955-1960)
57. TNC Board of Governors- List of Governors (1955; 1974)
58. TNC Board of Governors- Meeting Minutes (1952-1953; 1955-1959)
59. TNC Board of Governors- Meeting Minutes (1960-1962)
60. TNC Board of Governors-Meeting Minutes (1969; 1974-1975)
61. TNC Board of Governors- Meeting Minutes and Folder (Feb. 1977)
62. TNC Board of Governors- Meeting Minutes and Folder (May 1977)
63. TNC Board of Governors- Meeting Minutes and Folder (Sept. 1977)
64. TNC Board of Governors- Meeting Minutes and Folder (Dec. 1977)
65. TNC Board of Governors- Meeting Minutes and Folder (Feb. 1978)
End of Subseries 1
Subseries 2: TNC Brochures
66. TNC Brochures- “Gifts of Land” (ND)
67. TNC Brochures- “Highlights of 1961” (1962)
68. TNC Brochures- “John Q. Thoughtless” (ND)
69. TNC Brochures- “Living Museums of Primal America” (1952-1955)
70. TNC Brochures- “10 Most Asked Questions” (ND)
71. TNC Brochures- “We Can Work With You” (ND)
End of Subseries 2
72. TNC Business Trips (1959-1960)
73. TNC Bylaws and Constitution (1955; 1961)
74. TNC Calendar (1973)
Subseries 3: TNC Chapters and Affiliates
Subseries Note: This should not be considered an exhaustive list of TNC Chapters and
Affiliates, their meetings, their publications etc., but merely material collected by Netting
relating to them.
75. TNC Chapters & Affiliates- Bylaws and Constitutions (1959-1961)
76. TNC Chapters & Affiliates- Chapter Handbook (1953; 1959)
77. TNC Chapters & Affiliates- Correspondence (1951-1977)
78. TNC Chapters and Affiliates- Meetings (1955-1961)
79. TNC Chapters & Affiliates- Newsletters and Brochures (1957-1977)
End of Subseries 3
Box 4
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Series 7:The Nature Conservancy (cont)
Subseries 4: TNC Committees
80. TNC Committees- Conservation Legislation (1952)
81. TNC Committees- Development (1977)
82. TNC Committees- Investment (1956-1959)
83. TNC Committees- Management and Finance (1957-1962)
84. TNC Committees- Membership (1955-1960)
85. TNC Committees- Natural Areas for Schools (1959-1962)
86. TNC Committees- Nominating (1952-1972)
87. TNC Committees- Planning (1975-1977)
88. TNC Committees- Publications (1956-1960)
89. TNC Committees- Science & Preserve Management (1971-1976)
90. TNC Committees- Volunteer Activities (1976-1977)
End of Subseries 4
91. TNC Ecology Reports (ND)
92. Employment (1954-1955)
93. Executive Director Search (1957-1959)
Subseries 5: TNC Finances
Subseries Note: Netting had access to these files as a Member of the Executive
Committee of the Board of Governors. Like other records, these are largely incomplete.
The years covered are cited parenthetically following the file unit names.
94. TNC Finances- Accountant Reports (1955-1956)
95. TNC Finances- Budget Reports (1954-1959)
96. TNC Finances- Capital Funds (1975)
97. TNC Finances- Donations (1952-1955; 1960; 1963; 1967; 1970; 1977)
98. TNC Finances- Expense Report Forms (ND)
99. TNC Finances- Financial Statements (1954-1960; 1977)
100. TNC Finances- Fundraising (1953-1955; 1959-1962)
101. TNC Finances- Project Expenses (1955-1957; 1977)
102. TNC Finances-Tax Status (1952; 1960; 1977)
End of Subseries 5
Box 5
Series 7: The Nature Conservancy (cont)
103. TNC Handbook (1958)
104. TNC Headquarters (1957)
105. TNC Land Preservation Fund (1976-1977)
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106. TNC Lobbying (1952; 1959-1960)
Subseries 6: TNC Membership
Subseries Note: Many years are not represented adequately in this subseries. Years
contained in this subseries are designated parenthetically following the file unit names.
107. TNC Membership-Annual Members Meeting (1953-1961; 1966; 1975-1977)
108. TNC Membership-Correspondence (1952-1974)
109. TNC Membership- List of Members (1960)
110. TNC Membership- Membership Renewal Forms (ND)
111. TNC Membership- Name Cards for Pennsylvania Members (1955)
End of Subseries 6
Subseries 7: TNC Natural Areas
112. TNC Natural Areas- Acquisition Reports (1954-1963)
113. TNC Natural Areas- Inventory (ND)
114. TNC Natural Areas- “Natural Areas as Research Facilities” (ND)
End of Subseries 7
Subseries 8: TNC Newsletters
115. TNC Newsletters- “Information Bulletins” (1952-1960)
116. TNC Newsletters- “The National Preserver” (1977)
117. TNC Newsletters- “On the Land” (1972-1976)
118. TNC Newsletters- “Stewardship” (1974-1978)
119. TNC Newsletters- “Super-Establishment-Underground” (1973)
End of Subseries 8
Box 6
Series 7: The Nature Conservancy (cont)
120. TNC Oak Leaf Award (1974)
121. TNC Organization (1950; 1956-1957)
122. TNC Personal Correspondence (1952-1972)
123. TNC Philosophy and Objectives (1953-1957)
124. TNC Policy Bulletins (ND)
125. TNC Preserve Directory Booklet (ND)
Subseries 9: TNC Projects
Subseries Note: This subseries features correspondence and plans relating to TNC
projects throughout the United States. The project that Netting seemed to have been most
involved in was the Northern California Coastal Range Preserve, as he had a close
friendship with Project Caretaker Heath Angelo and he served as a middleman between
Angelo and TNC officials throughout Angelo’s tenure as Caretaker.
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126. TNC Projects- Cranberry Bog (ND)
127. TNC Projects- Cranesville Swamp (1961)
128. TNC Projects- Dome Island (1954)
129. TNC Projects- Mianus Gorge (1954-1955)
130. TNC Projects- Northern California Coastal Range Preserve (1960-1963)
131. TNC Projects- Pine Hills, Indiana (ND)
132. TNC Projects- Projects Operations Manual (1955)
133. TNC Projects- Project Proposals (1957-1972)
134. TNC Projects- Project Reports (1956-1976)
135. TNC Projects- Vacant Land in Wayne County, Pennsylvania (1958-1959)
136. TNC Projects- Virginia Barrier Islands (1976-1977)
End of Subseries 9
137. TNC Proxy Election of President (1958)
Subseries 10- TNC Publicity
138. TNC Publicity- Magazine and Journal Articles (1953-1977)
139. TNC Publicity- Newspaper Articles (1957-1977)
140. TNC Publicity- Press Releases (1953-1976)
End of Subseries 10
Box 7
Series 7: The Nature Conservancy (cont)
141. TNC Relationship with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (1951-1952; 1956;
1961)
142. TNC Scholarship (1953-1956)
143. TNC Speech of West Virginia Secretary for Fish and Wildlife (1975)
144. TNC State Heritage Programs (1975)
145. TNC “Surrender or Survival” Poster (ND)
146. TNC Symposiums (1957; 1963)
147. TNC United Conservation Fund (1954-1955)
148. TNC Western Advisory Board (1957-1959)
149. TNC “Where Do We Stand?” (ND)
Series 8: Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences
150. PA Academy of Sciences- Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of
Sciences “Conscience of a Conservationist” Reprint (1954)
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Series 9: Philadelphia Academy of Sciences
151. Philadelphia Academy of Sciences- 1956 Fall Educational Programs Flyer
(1956)
Series 10: Pioneer Crafts Festival
152. Pioneer Crafts Festival Registration Form (1972)
Series 11: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles(SSAR)
153. SSAR Annual Meeting Information (1971)
Series 12: Trip to the Western United States
154. Trip to the Western United States- Itinerary and Expense Report (ND)
Box 8
Series 13: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC)
155. WPC American Motors Conservation Award (1961-1962; 1974)
156. WPC Annual Members Meeting Minutes (1965; 1971-1974)
Subseries 1: WPC Board of Directors
Subseries note: Like the other Board of Directors/Governors subseries, the meeting
agendas and minutes for the WPC’s Board of Directors are incomplete. The years
contained within this subseries are cited parenthetically at the end of the file unit name.
Complete Minutes and Agendas of the WPC Board of Directors can be found at the
Heinz History Center of Pittsburgh, PA in their M. Graham Netting Collection.
157. WPC Board of Directors- Correspondence (1961-1976)
158. WPC Board of Directors- Meeting Agendas (1962; 1969-1978)
159. WPC Board of Directors- Minutes (1965; 1971; 1973-1976; 1978)
End of Subseries 1
Subseries 2: WPC Brochures
160. WPC Brochures- “Action Now” (ND)
161. WPC Brochures- “A Field Guide to the WPC” (1971)
162. WPC Brochures- “How to Save Nature’s Masterworks (ND)
163. WPC Brochures- “Last Call to Save Penn’s Woods” (1961)
164. WPC Brochures- “A Park is Born” (ND)
165. WPC Brochures- “Perpetuating Natural Heritage” (1965)
166. WPC Brochures- “Perpetuating Penn’s Woods” (1960)
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167. WPC Brochures- “Yesterday’s Lands for Tomorrow” (1964)
End of Subseries 2
168. WPC Bylaws (1962; 1970)
Subseries 3: WPC Committees
169. WPC Committees- Education (1970-1971)
170. WPC Committees- Executive (1965; 1969; 1974-1976)
171. WPC Committees- Long Range Planning (1972)
172. WPC Committees- Membership (1964; 1970)
173. WPC Committees- Nomination (1965-1975)
174. WPC Committees- Open Space (1970)
End of Subseries 3
175. WPC Conservancy Comments (1953-1956)
176. WPC Correspondence (1956-1970)
177. WPC Dinner Invitations (1961-1970; 1973)
178. WPC Employee Life Insurance Package (ND)
179. WPC Employment Records (ND)
180. WPC Family Conservation Workshop (1976)
Subseries 4: WPC Finances
Subseries Note: Netting would have had access to the Financial Records as WPC
Secretary and as a member of the Board of Directors
181. WPC Finances- Balance Sheets (1952-1979)
182. WPC Finances- Bank Agreement (1971)
183. WPC Finances- Donations (1953; 1960-1973)
184. WPC Finances- Project Expense Reports (1953; 1968-1973)
185. WPC Finances- Property Fund (1976)
186. WPC Finances- Tax Status (1969)
187. WPC Finances- Treasurer’s Report (1952; 1967-1970)
188. WPC Finances- Yearly Audits (1957-1968)
189. WPC Finances- Yearly Budget (1970-1979)
End of Subseries 4
190. WPC Headquarters Keys (ND)
Subseries 5: WPC Land Transfer Agreements
191. WPC Land Transfer Agreements- Purchases (1966-1973)
192. WPC Land Transfer Agreements- Sales and Leases (1954-1973)
End of Subseries 5
15
Box 9
193. WPC List of Officers and Directors (1970)
194. WPC List of Past Presidents (1969)
Subseries 6: WPC Lobbying
195. WPC Lobbying- Air Pollution Prevention (1969)
196. WPC Lobbying- Allegheny National Forest (1969)
197. WPC Lobbying- Conservation Education (1969-1970)
198. WPC Lobbying- Land Use Policy (1973)
199. WPC Lobbying- Maurice Goddard (1962)
200. WPC Lobbying- National Parks in the East (1971-1972)
201. WPC Lobbying- Senate Bill 1248 (1976)
202. WPC Lobbying- Strip Mining Legislation (1961-1965)
203. WPC Lobbying- Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968-1971)
End of Subseries 6
204. WPC Merger with the Pittsburgh Playground Society (1971)
205. WPC Moraine State Park Map (ND)
Subseries 7: WPC Natural Areas
206. WPC Natural Areas- Inventory (1972-1973)
207. WPC Natural Areas- Visitations (1973)
End of Subseries 7
208. WPC Organizational Chart and Critique (1972)
209. WPC Park Lodges (ND)
210. WPC Possible PSU Arboretum (1972)
211. WPC Presidential Search (1969)
212. WPC Program Statement (1969)
Subseries 8: WPC Programs
213. WPC Programs- Fall Lecture Series (ND)
214. WPC Programs- Land Acquisition (1969-1979)
215. WPC Programs- Land Conservation (ND)
216. WPC Programs- Land Use (ND)
217. WPC Programs- Speaker’s Bureau (1969-1970)
End of Subseries 8
218. WPC Progress Report (1953)
Subseries 9: WPC Projects
Subseries Note: This subseries includes correspondence, site plans, site descriptions, land
transfer agreements, attendance statistics, and operations manuals relating to specific
16
projects that the WPC undertook on natural sites throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Netting’s primary interest seemed to have been in the Conemaugh Gorge Project and
Laurel Ridge Park, as the material collected in those files is far greater than the material
collected relating to other projects. This includes bound volumes including all the
material listed above, press releases and also newspaper articles done about the projects.
Netting also seemed to serve as a conduit for conservationists to submit project proposals
to the WPC in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
219. WPC Projects- Conemaugh Gorge (1963-1967)
220. WPC Projects- Laurel Ridge Park (1965-1968)
221. WPC Projects- Fallingwater (1964; 1974)
222. WPC Projects- Pennsylvania Park System (1957)
223. WPC Projects- Project Attendances (1964; 1970)
224. WPC Projects- Project Management Handbook (1969)
225. WPC Projects- Project Proposals (1960; 1968-1972)
226. WPC Projects- Salem Crossroads Historic Site (1976)
227. WPC Projects- 12 Mile Island (1972)
End of Subseries 9
Series 13: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (cont)
228. WPC Publications Exchange Scheme (1961)
Subseries 10: WPC Publicity
229. WPC Publicity- Bound Volume of Laurel Ridge Park Articles (1965-1968)
230. WPC Publicity- Magazine Articles (1955-1973)
231. WPC Publicity- Newspaper Articles (1959-1976)
232. WPC Publicity- Press Releases (1963-1973)
233. WPC Publicity- Project ’70 (1963)
234. WPC Publicity- Speeches and Public Statements (1969-1970)
End of Subseries 10
235. WPC Reports of Land Misuse (1962)
236. WPC Statements of Gratitude (ND)
237. WPC Water Land and Life (Jun. 1965)
17