Carl B. Koford papers, 1938-1979

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Summary

Creators:
Koford, Carl B., 1915-1979 and Koford, Mary R.
Abstract:
The Carl B. Koford papers include work done by Koford between 1938-1979, as well as correspondence dating from 1939-1977. The field notes document projects focusing on the California Condor, Pumas, primates, and additional birds, mammals, and reptiles.
Extent:
3.7 Linear feet
Language:

Background

Scope and content:

The Carl B. Koford papers are composed of twenty-one standard-bound volumes of fieldnotes, including specimen, map, and habitat sketches, as well as transcriptions of scientific notes. Ten of the volumes contain work that Koford completed while developing his monograph, The California Condor, published in 1953. Additionally, there are four folders containing correspondence dating from 1939-1977. Within his fieldnotes, Koford also describes numerous visits and interviews with people, including forest service employees, game and fire wardens, photographers, and local populations in the U.S. and abroad. Also mentioned are Koford’s activities while visiting museums and colleges and at meetings of the Cooper Ornithological Club, California affiliates of National Audubon Society, and similar organizations. In addition, one of the volumes contains fieldnotes and a specimen catalog authored by his wife, Mary R. Koford.

Biographical / historical:

Carl B. Koford (1915-1979) was a biologist whose best-known fieldwork and research centered on the California Condor. Koford received his PhD from UC Berkeley in 1950. During his tenure with the MVZ, he held the titles of Research Associate and Associate Research Ecologist. In 1939, John Baker, Executive Director of the Audubon Society, established a Fellowship at UC Berkeley so that critical facts (particularly population size) relating to the California Condor could be established. Koford, who was familiar with areas inhabited by the species and reputed to be an excellent observer, was selected for the Fellowship position. The research he completed in this role led to the publication of his monographic study, titled The California Condor, in 1953. Koford’s work was also crucial in the establishment of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Ventura County, California in 1947.

Sources Consulted:

“Carl B. Koford, 1915-1979.” The Condor, 82, 1 (1980): 112. Accessed August 26, 2013. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1366804

Graham, Frank Jr. “Day of the Condor.” Audubon, 102, 1 (2000): 46-53.

Arrangement:

The collection has been arranged in the following series: Field notes and Correspondence. There are no subseries.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
3101 Valley Life Sciences Bldg, #3160
University of California Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-3160, US
Contact:
(510) 642-3567
mvzarchives@berkeley.EDU
Website