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The Bipartisan Birdman Of The Senate

Connecticut’s Senator George P. McLean helped establish lasting legal protections for birds, overseeing the passage of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), a landmark environmental protection legislation that is still in effect today. Will McLean Greeley, McLean’s great, great nephew, will discuss that vital victory, effected 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 at 6 p.m. To register, visit www.newhavenmuseum.org/visit/events-calendar and go to the correct date on the calendar. The free event will also stream on FB Live.

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.

For more information, visit www.newhavenmuseum.org or @NewHavenMuseum or call 203-562-4183.