In Memorium – Peter Warshall

The environmental community in general and the Bioneers community in particular lost an important voice on April 26 with the passing of ecologist, activist and anthropologist Peter Warshall. Peter, who co-directed Bioneers’ Dreaming New Mexico initiative, worked for more than 40 years on conservation, biodiversity protection and community development projects in Africa, Latin America and North America for the U.N., USAID, various conservation groups and businesses and Native American Governments. His multi-faceted areas of expertise included natural resource management, watersheds, conservation biology, biodiversity assessments and conflict resolution and consensus building between divergent economic and cultural special interest groups. He was the Sustainability and Anthropology Editor of the Whole Earth Catalog from 1973-1996, and worked as a consultant for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Ethiopia. Closer to home here, he worked for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory on migratory bird habitat conservation. Peter received his B.A. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Biology and Anthropology from Harvard University. He served on the board of directors of the All Species Foundation, Sky Island Alliance, and World Innovation Foundation. Peter’s niece, Rose Kress, described him as a “beautiful, unassuming man who worked his entire life to make this world a better place.”

“There are two things that can perhaps save the world. One would be the mastery of one’s kindness to oneself and the big heart. And the other would be understanding your passion for place, for where you live, and really loving the place that you live in.”  —Peter Warshall

Peter was laid to rest in the place that he loved, Portal, Arizona.