Farewell, Dr. Lincoln Brower
The Journey North community – and all the monarch world - have lost a beloved friend.
Dr. Lincoln Brower died peacefully at home on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. He was 86 years years old. Dr. Brower was a beloved colleague, mentor, and friend who inspired us, challenged us, fed our curiosity, made us laugh, and now cry. He kept his passion for monarchs to the end, forging ahead no matter the obstacles and challenges. For me, seeing a monarch will forever mean remembering Lincoln.
A world-renowned biologist, Lincoln modestly described himself as “a student and admirer of the monarch.” He traveled to the overwintering colonies in Mexico for 4 decades, almost every year since 1977.
“On each visit, I discover something new about this wonderful and fascinating creature,” he remarked.
Lincoln was a passionate advocate for monarch conservation:
“We should care about monarchs like we care about the Mona Lisa or the beauty of Mozart’s music. To me, the monarch is a treasure like a great piece of art. We need to develop a cultural appreciation of wildlife that’s equivalent to art and music,” he said in a 2013 interview for Sweet Briar Magazine.
The time and talents Dr. Brower gave to Journey North are too numerous to count. Search our website for “Brower” and you’ll pull up 80 links. Over 25 years he contributed field reports, voice recordings, research data, quotes, comments, critiques, and a whole library of historic images from the monarch sanctuaries and other field sites.
Lincoln read our “Monarch Migration News” every week and wrote the next morning with comments. He always marveled at the value of citizen science.
"Without this sort of citizen input, imagine how much we would never know!" he said.
With a heavy heart, we tearfully bid goodbye to our beloved friend. Our memories and gratitude will be with us forever.
Lincoln P. Brower Award
In honor of Dr. Lincoln Brower’s extraordinary dedication and commitment to monarch conservation, the Monarch Butterfly Fund has established the Lincoln P. Brower Award, an annual grant of $3,000 USD to support undergraduate or graduate students in research on the conservation of monarch butterflies and their habitats.
To contribute: Lincoln P. Brower Award
