Marshal T Case was 30 years old, and Executive Director of Connecticut Audubon when he found himself presented with many injured and orphaned wildlife and began a long career of rehabilitating birds, mammals, and reptiles. In 1981 he established the non-profit Injured and Orphaned Wildlife, which later became known as Trust for Wildlife.
From an early age, Marshal had cared deeply for the planet, rescuing insects and animals found on his small yard in Philadelphia. He watched the habitats and the critters disappear around him and vowed to devote his life to “saving the natural world.”
Marshal graduated from Cornell University with a degree in wildlife biology and science/nature education. In his freshman year he began housing injured wildlife in his dorm room, both a flying squirrel and a fox; his roommates were very tolerant. He was responsible for creating the first interpretive nature trail at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and was mentored by some of the top ornithologists in the country.
Marshal banding a barn owl after rehabilitating it. Due to permanent wing damage, she was unable to be released into the wild, so stayed with Marshal, who cared for her and took her to classroom presentations to evoke interest in conservation and habitat preservation.
Establishing and building the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History was Marshal's first job out of college. He saw the need for hands-on education for children and adults and developed programs exploring the natural habitat of the Cape.
Marshal went on to become Senior Vice President in charge of education at National Audubon. He formulated a nation-wide nature education project, “Audubon Adventures,” that reached more than one million classroom children by the second year of its inception. By the third year, he received invitations to present the program to education leaders in the Soviet Union. He worked with Russian academics, and translated the materials focused on Russian art and language, to reach across the entire (former) Soviet Union. This grew into a partnership with Russian television and resulted in 70 films “World of Animals” aired on Saturdays for five years under the sub-title “Russians and Americans Working Together to Protect Nature” The viewing audience numbered over 200 million.
With Roger Tory Peterson
Marshal holding Mighty Giants: an American Chestnut Anthology, which he created for the 25th anniversary of The American Chestnut Foundation.
Planting a chestnut tree at the White House with George Bush and US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns
In 1997 Marshal was hired as executive director of The American Chestnut Foundation. In addition to establishing 13 chapters in states where the American Chestnut had existed before the blight wiped out this important tree species, Marshal planted chestnut trees with two presidents, at the White House with George W. Bush, and at the Carter Center with Jimmy Carter. When Marshal was asked how he could plant trees with both a republican and a democrat he said, “The trees don’t care.” Marshal received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the Department of Interior in 2008 for over 4000 hours of volunteer time dedicated to environmental work.
Marshal has spent his entire professional career as a wildlife biologist and educator, and Trust for Wildlife has remained an important part of this commitment. From its early focus on wildlife rehabilitation, the scope of Trust for Wildlife is now on land preservation, education and supporting collaborative programs that help to preserve the biological diversity of important ecosystems. Trust for Wildlife has acquired and preserved three Vermont sanctuaries, a woodland, a watershed, and a wetland. In addition, Trust for Wildlife hosts a free nature camp in Vermont each year on the sanctuary in Halifax, Vermont, and Marshal continues to mentor young naturalists. Research is ongoing both on his 100-acre land, Bobolink Meadows Farm where he “farms for wildlife and biodiversity”, and in collaboration with the many other important environmental groups working hard to protect our natural world.
Marshal with Jimmy Carter after planting a chestnut tree at the Carter Center
Trust for Wildlife has no employees. It is governed by a small board of directors who provide the expertise to meet all state and federal regulations. Grants and donations go straight into its educational and conservation projects and partnerships.
Teaching children how to respectfully observe nature at Trust For Wildlife's free nature camp in Halifax, VT.
About Our
Founder, Marshal T Case
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