Anna Botsford Comstock (1854-1930)

“There is not a weed or an insect or a tree so common that the child, by observing carefully, may not see things never yet recorded in scientific books….” 

Anna Botsford Comstock, Handbook of Nature Study, 1911 (page 11)   

Anna Botsford Comstock was a scientific illustrator, naturalist, conservationist, author, a leader in the nature study movement, and considered by many to be the mother of nature education.  She was a pioneer in advocating that teachers should take students outdoors to learn, and worked tirelessly to promote nature education, train teachers, and produce educational materials. 

While at Cornell University, Comstock met her husband and later began illustrating his entomology publications and lectures on insects.  The couple subsequently founded their own publishing company, producing many books together.  Appointed in 1895 to the New York State Committee for the Promotion of Agriculture, Comstock created a nature study course for public elementary schools that began as experimental, but was so successful that it was adopted for statewide use, and grew into a nationwide effort.  Comstock was hired in 1897 as one of the first female professors at Cornell, but as a woman, was not offered a full professorship until 1920. 

Comstock authored many books on conservation and nature education, including her most famous work, The Handbook of Nature Study.  Published in 1911, it became an important resource for teachers that went through 24 editions and was translated into eight languages.  Comstock has been honored by the League of Women Voters as one of America’s greatest women.  By encouraging instructors and students to go outside to learn, and by teaching them about the relationship between people and nature, Comstock was a leader who left a legacy on environmental education and conservation.

This plaque was created by SUTL Cohort 30.