James J. Brett

My greatest sympathy to Jim´s Family. I recently learned of his death. He was our guide & friend on a trip to Tanzania in 2008, my now deceased husband, Dan Hill & he served together on a conservation board. Jim turned me into a birder & was brilliant & funny. Colleen mccarthy, erie

Year later just writing to say I still see you and hear you in the woods, Jim. Hope the spirit world is good.

I met Jim when I was about 13 or 14 years old and just getting started as a birdwatcher. We were both fortunate to share a common friend, the wildlife artist and consummate naturalist Ned Smith. It was a high honor for me to sit on the North Lookout with those two experts teaching me the ropes. And I was most lucky to be there on a day when a most unexpected migrant flew by--- a Gyrfalcon. Neither Ned nor Jim could believe their eyes. It was a thrilling moment and I was grateful they were...

What a shining star was Jim Brett! I counted aquatic specimens for him when he co-authored a study of the Codorus Creek in the late '60s while teaching at Northeastern York County High School. He wrote under a pen name for our student independent newspaper to avoid conflict with the school administration. While he is noted for his nature and conservation efforts, I will best remember his wit and sense of irony. There are many Brett stories. My favorite is when he took frozen fish, stuck them...

Although I didn't know exactly what to do with his sense of humor as his 10th grade biology student, I knew he was as an excellent teacher and liked him a lot. Years later as he visited us at our farm and gathered all in attendance with his tales, doubling everyone over in laughter, I appreciated him even more! Wishes for peace and comfort to his family and all who loved him.

Jim Bret inspired me to engage the natural world. Carl Koval said it best when he expressed Brett´s attributes as a teacher. The Oerwood Nature Center was his creation. "Early December 1967, the the Ecology Club of Northeastern High School gave of their weekends and holidays to develop a beautiful piece of a useful and educational nature laboratory on the property of Carl H Oerman (now Shady Lane) and called it Oerwood. In 1969, when James Brett, who was a teacher at Northeastern High School...

Jim Brett was my 9th grade earth science and 10th grade biology at Northeastern High School in the late 1960´s. The attached photo is from my senior yearbook. He was the most inspirational and memorable teacher I had at NHS in any subject. When it came to his willingness to engage students outside the classroom, Jim Brett was nothing short of remarkable. He formed the Ecology Club and being involved in its activities resulted in so many fond memories that it is hard to remember them all....

I spent Y2K with Jim in the middle of the Serengeti! It was the trip of a lifetime! I was a young solo traveler within the tour group he was guiding and he made sure I was always included and at ease... and the stories he told around the fire! What an amazing life he lived! Rest in Peace!

Jim Brett camera-shy??? Actually, I think this is Jim's sign language telling us to "not touch any of the Leakey's rocks" at Olduvai Gorge! Jim was very kind to all he met. As a great Teacher, Naturalist and human being, he did his utmost to save our environment while improving others' lives. To his family who shared Jim with many others, may you find solace in those many who now carry his torch. Here's a Konyaki to you, my friend Jim. Rest peacefully with the giants