Connecticut’s Senator George P. McLean helped establish lasting legal protections for birds, overseeing the passage of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), landmark environmental protection legislation that is still in effect today. Will McLean Greeley, McLean’s great, great nephew, will discuss that vital victory during a time of widespread corruption and political instability in a Zoom lecture, “Birdman of the Senate: Senator George P. McLean and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act,” for the New Haven Museum on Thursday, May 2, 2024. at 6 p.m. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rd2ben0TT02RhVDZS0SoUQ#/registration

Conservationists estimate that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has saved millions if not billions of birds and likely prevented the extinction of many bird species. Greeley says the MBTA also ushered in the watchdog role of the federal government over the environment, adding, “Its passage was a victory for bipartisanship in Congress, something most Americans long for today.”

Greeley will base his presentation on his book, “A Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington: Senator George P. McLean, Birdman of the Senate,” putting McLean’s victory for birds in the context of the senator’s distinguished 45-year career.

image credit: Doug Greenberg