additional photosPosted: 08/15/16, 1:34 PM EDT | Updated: 5 hrs ago
NEW PALTZ >> A long-time SUNY New Paltz professor who was the first person to successfully breed the peregrine falcon in captivity has died.
Emeritus professor of biology Heinz Meng died Saturday, SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian said in an email.
Meng was a “beloved faculty member” who taught at SUNY New Paltz from 1951 until his retirement in 2001, Christian said. He said Meng also served as an adjunct professor from 2002 to 2006. Christian said Meng was “perhaps best known in the conservation community as the person credited with the recovery of the peregrine falcon in the eastern U.S.”
In 1971, Meng became the first person to successfully breed the peregrine falcon in captivity, at a time when populations had been severely decimated by widespread use of pesticides including DDT. Christian said Meng’s methods were replicated as the basis of a bird-release program that restored the falcon’s population levels to the point where it was officially removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999.
Meng was also the first person to successfully incubate peregrine eggs in captivity.
In 1998, the National Audubon Society named Meng one of the “100 Champions of Conservation” during the 20th century.
“Meng shared his preternatural touch and love of birds with many generations of New Paltz students,” Christian said. “He began flying falcons on campus in 1974, a tradition he continued until his retirement, creating countless hands-on opportunities for students to work with birds of prey in natural settings. Numerous alumni have shared with me the profound impact that Dr. Meng’s teaching had on their lives and careers, and the vivid memories they have of experiences in the field with him. His contributions to the recovery of the peregrine falcon are a truly remarkable legacy.”
Christian said a memorial for Meng would be held on campus at a later date, though details are not yet available.
Meng was born in Germany in 1924 and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1929. He earned his Ph.D in ornithology at Cornell University in 1951 before his appointment at SUNY New Paltz.
Following his retirement, Meng was honored with the President’s Medal from SUNY New Paltz for his 50 years of service. He had also received SUNY New Paltz’s first-ever Distinguished Teacher Award in 1984.
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160815/suny-new-paltzs-heinz-meng-first-person-to-successfully-breed-the-peregrine-falcon-in-captivity-dies
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