The Last Heath Hen

The Heath Hen once roamed the east coast of North America from Maine to Virginia. Towards the end of the 19th century conservationists noticed a serious decline in its numbers and set in place programs to save the species. This book, written for young readers, describes the effort to save this species of beautiful game birds that survived on the island of Martha's Vineyard.

Reviews of THE LAST HEATH HEN

"It's beautiful. I enjoyed reliving the hard, though necessary moments of that extinction. Vividly written and with a powerful conclusion."

 Christopher Cokinos, Author

     Hope Is the Thing with Feathers

     University of Arizona professor emeritus

"A story itself on the verge of extinction, this is a tale of environmental heroism and the struggle to save an iconic species, the Heath Hen. Fittingly, it is delivered into the hands of the next generation. May it succeed in conservation where prior ones have failed."

  Tom Chase, Founder/Executive Director

Village and Wilderness Project

"The Last Heath Hen is both engaging and informative. Having grown up as a child listening to my parents read me Thornton Burgess stories, the connectivity between Thornton Burgess and Dr. Alfred Gross was especially insightful. I was fascinated to learn that Thornton Burgess was with Dr. Gross when they trapped and banded the last living Heath Hen on Martha's Vineyard. It practically brought tears to my eyes!"

"Nicely done! A wonderful read, and just as enjoyable for an adult as it should be for children." 

Wayne Petersen, Director

Massachusetts Audubon Important Bird Area

Author, Massachusetts Birds