Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Dasmann, Raymond Fredric, 1919-2002
- Extent:
- 45.58 Linear Feet 72 half cartons, 2 flat boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
Raymond F. Dasmann papers, MS261, Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains papers which document the career of conservation biologist Raymond F. Dasmann, covering his career as a professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, his field research and publications, and his professional activities for a number of environmental organizations. The collection includes drafts and manuscripts and reprints of his numerous books, journal articles, and reports; correspondence with editors, publishers, and colleagues; field notes and maps from his research; teaching materials such as lecture notes, syllabi, and course readers; materials from his participation in numerous conferences and symposia; biographical material including resumes and obituaries; manuscripts of his writings and research during graduate school; personal materials including his calendars and planners; and research materials that informed his own work. The forms of materials in this collection include journals, notebooks, newspaper clippings, magazine and journal articles, correspondence, photographs, and manuscripts.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Raymond F. Dasmann was a distinguished biologist whose innovations in the field of conservation biology influenced the environmental movement of the 1960's and 70's. His early research focused on California deer populations and wild game in Africa, however his work also dealt with natural resource management and the way human populations interact with their surrounding ecosystems. He held senior positions in international organizations such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and UNESCO, where he inaugurated the Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1971. In addition to his work with environmental organizations, Dasmann was also committed to teaching younger generations about the importance of ecological sustainability. He held teaching positions at the University of Minnesota and Humboldt State University, and was professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California Santa Cruz until his retirement in 1989. Dasmann's textbook, Environmental Conservation, first published in 1959, has become a fundamental text in undergraduate courses and is now in its fifth edition. His other publications include The Last Horizon (1963), The Destruction of California (1964), Planet in Peril (1971), and The Conservation Alternative (1973).
Dasmann was born in San Francisco on May 27, 1919. He attended Lowell high school in San Francisco and then began his undergraduate career at San Francisco State College. He served in the United States Army during World War II before finishing his undergraduate work at the University of California Berkeley in 1948. He continued his education at UC Berkeley under the mentorship of A. Starker Leopold in the Zoology program. With his research on deer populations in California, Dasmann received his Master of Arts in 1951 and his Ph.D. in Zoology in 1954.
Dasmann taught at the University of Minnesota from 1953 to 1954 before taking up a position at Humboldt State University. While there, he served as the Chairman of the Division of Natural Resources while also teaching a number of subjects including range ecology, fishery management, oceanography, and more. Dasmann left Humboldt State in 1965 and worked for a number of natural resource organizations. He was the Director of International Programs at the Conservation Foundation in Washington, D.C. from 1966 to 1970. It was also during this time that he served as a Senior Ecologist for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dasmann was also a consultant for UNESCO, where in 1971 he developed the Man and the Biosphere Programme - an important initiative, which still exists today, to investigate the relationship between humans and ecology.
Throughout his career, Dasmann was involved in a number of organizations including Friends of the Earth, the Earth Island Institute, and the World Conservation Union. For his influential work, Dasmann received awards such as the Browning Medal for Conserving the Environment from the Smithsonian Institution in 1974 and the Leopold Medal and Award from the Wildlife Society in 1979. He continuously participated in conferences and symposia such as the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. He wrote numerous reports and papers for these events, as well as hundreds of articles which were published in major journals. His books include The Last Horizon (1963), The Destruction of California (1964), Planet in Peril (1971), and The Conservation Alternative (1973). He also published an autobiography titled Called by the Wild in 2002.
Dasmann passed away at the age of 83 on November 5, 2002 in Santa Cruz, California. He was married to Elizabeth Dasmann, with whom he raised three daughters.
References:
Jarrell, Randall, ed. Raymond F. Dasmann: A Life in Conservation Biology (Santa Cruz, CA: University of California Santa Cruz, University Library, 2000).
Woo, Elaine. "Raymond F. Dasmann, 83; A Founding Father of Environmentalism," Los Angeles Times November 9, 2002. Accessed 10 October, 2016. http://articles.latimes.com/2002/nov/09/local/me-dasmann9
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Marlene Dasmann, 2010.
- Processing information:
-
Collection processed by Maggie Wander in the Center for Archival Research and Training (CART) with assistance from Alix Norton, 2016. Most titles in this collection were derived from the original folder titles as received from the donor.
- Arrangement:
-
This collection is arranged in eight series:
- Series 1: Professional activities
- Series 2: Writings and publications
- Series 3: Correspondence
- Series 4: Teaching files
- Series 5: Education
- Series 6: Research files
- Series 7: Personal and biographical files
- Series 8: Subject files
- Physical location:
- Collection stored off-site at NRLF: Advance notice is required for access.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs. Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.
- Preferred citation:
-
Raymond F. Dasmann papers, MS261, Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
- Location of this collection:
-
Special Collections and Archives, University Library1156 High StreetSanta Cruz, CA 95064, US
- Contact:
- (831) 459-2547