Edith Munger / Edith Munger

Growing up in Whitehall in post-Civil War Michigan, conservationist Edith Gotts was “infatuated with all outdoor life, especially birds, wild flowers, and butterflies.” She worked as a school teacher before marrying physician-farmer Louis P. Munger in 1895. They moved to Hart, where she was troubled to see boys shooting birds for fun. Munger began to advocate for birds through public lectures. She argued that they ate pests, making them essential for agriculture, and “their beautiful colors, exquisite forms and sweet music” enriched life in Michigan. At the 1908 meeting of the Michigan Federation of Women’s Clubs she led the charge against wearing hats made with bird plumage. In 1925 she became the first president of the Michigan Conservation Council. Her conservation work also included helping expand Silver Lake State Park near Hart. Bird lover Edith Munger joined the Michigan Audubon Society in 1907. She served as its vice-president before becoming its first female president in 1913. As president, Munger led the society’s legislative efforts to prohibit quail hunting and bounties on hawks and owls. She traveled throughout the state, extolling to school children and civic audiences the value of birds. Between 1911 and 1927, she spoke to some 100,000 people. In 1929 she promoted the society’s state bird contest on radio stations throughout Michigan. A total of 177,646 votes were cast. Though Munger favored the chickadee, most voters chose the robin. In 1931 the Michigan legislature made the robin the state bird. In 1934, Munger retired as the society’s president. She served as president emeritus until her death in 1945. In 2010 she was elected to the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.