Gale Monson Research Grants

Arizona Field Ornithologists offer financial support to individuals for the purpose of conducting field research that will enhance our knowledge of the status, distribution, identification, and other aspects of Arizona birdlife. We typically award two $1000 grants annually in honor of long-time ornithologist Gale Monson.

Gale Monson, considered to be the father of modern Arizona field ornithology, is best known as one of the authors of Birds of Arizona (1964) and the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Arizona (1981), as well as editor of the Southwest Region for American Birds from 1948 until 1963 and again from 1971 to 1973. His interest in birds began when he was a boy in Red River Valley, North Dakota. He moved to Arizona in 1934 where he worked until 1940 as a biologist on Papago (now Tohono O’Odham) and Navajo tribal lands, as well as for the Soil Conservation Service in Arizona and New Mexico. In 1940 until 1969 (except for two and a half years in the army stationed in China, Burma, and India from 1942 to 1945) he worked for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service at refuges in New Mexico, at Havasu and Imperial National Wildlife Refuges on the Colorado River, and on the Kofa and Cabeza Prieta Game Ranges. During this time he authored several articles on the status of birds along the lower Colorado River and elsewhere in Arizona which were published in the Auk and Condor.  In 1971 he became one of the supervisors of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. Along with Dr. Stephen Russell, Monson conducted the field research for and wrote The Birds of Sonora (1998).

Always the consummate field man and a meticulous documenter of birds, plants, and other wildlife, Gale was dedicated to the betterment of Arizona and Sonora’s many biological treasures. During the 1970s and '80s, Gale was persistent in contacting birders to solicit photos of rare birds and he maintained the photo file in the University of Arizona Bird Collection. Thanks to him, many rare species were documented during that time.

Gale now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Now in his late 90s he still enjoys birding and reading the journals he kept for more than 80 years.

About Gale Monson Research Grants

(Grants have been awarded for the 2011 cycle, see below)

Grants will be awarded based on scientific merit, level of preparation, and financial need. Grant recipients are required to complete the research within one year of receiving an award and to make an oral presentation on their findings at the annual AZFO statewide meeting. Recipients are also strongly encouraged to prepare a manuscript reporting their results and to submit this manuscript for publication, preferentially to Arizona Birds Online.

To apply, researchers must complete an application (application form) that includes a maximum 500 word-long description of the project, a statement of how the project will enhance our knowledge of avian life in Arizona, and information on how the award money will be expended and on whether other sources of funding for the proposed work are available. The application package must include a letter of recommendation describing the applicant's qualifications and commitment to Arizona ornithology. Applicants do not have to be associated with an academic institution.

The application deadline is September 1 and funding decisions will be made by October 1. Two-thirds of the funds will be awarded immediately after approval of the research project and the remainder of the funds will be awarded after confirmation that a presentation will be made at the next annual statewide meeting. Grant recipients are required to provide a progress report on their research project within six months of receiving an award.

Send applications (preferably by email) and requests for additional information to: Pierre Deviche, Professor of Environmental Physiology, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501; Phone: (480) 965-0726; fax: (480) 965-6899; email: deviche@asu.edu.

Grant Awards for the 2011 cycle

The results of the first competition for the Gale Monson Research Grant were announced during the fifth annual meetings. Applications were evaluated and scored by several independent reviewers.

Awards (each $1000) were made to Kristen Dillon (University of Arizona) for her project titled “Ecological Causes of Elevational Gradients in Clutch Size of Red-faced Warblers” and to Carl Lundblad (also at the University of Arizona) for his project titled “Ecological Correlates of Altitudinal Migratory Tendency in Yellow-eyed Juncos”.

We wish Kristen and Carl luck and success with their research and look forward to hearing of their results.