As Theodore Roosevelt said, “The joy of living is his who has the heart to demand it.”

Roosevelt lived life to the fullest. His energy and enthusiasm were enough for 10 people let alone one. Oct. 27 will mark the 150th anniversary of our 26th president’s birthday. It merits attention, especially for everyone who loves and enjoys the outdoors.

Much has been written about his outdoor life, but it has mostly revolved around his love of hunting and his life as a rancher in the Dakotas.

Some know of his interest in birds and other “small” creatures, but it hasn’t been publicized in the same way his Rough Rider image has.

TR, or “Teddy” as he was often referred to, is considered our first conservationist president.

On March 14, 1904, he established the first national wildlife refuge. His executive order set aside Florida’s Pelican Island as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. This was a new kind of conservation undertaking.

Pelican Island was only 5 acres in size and was set aside as a sanctuary for birds. It was not protected for human use and enjoyment or for timber or for other natural resource production.

Pelican Island was home to bird species threatened by hunters seeking plumes for fashionable women’s hats. Some species, like the egrets and herons, had their populations drastically reduced.

The protecting of a small island caused Roosevelt to recognize that a refuge for wildlife could have benefits far beyond its boundaries when it served as a safe haven for nesting and feeding.

He went on to establish 53 other refuges from Florida’s Key West to Flattery Rocks on Washington’s coast. Some 150,000 pelagic birds nest on these rocks. During migration, the population swells to over a million. In 1908, a hundred years ago, President Roosevelt established the nation’s first waterfowl refuge.

The Lower Klamath Refuge is in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

TR was a big-game hunter, and he recognized that the early refuge system should also provide habitat and management for big-game animals.

Many, like the bison, had been seriously depleted on public lands. The National Bison Range was established in 1909.

When it came to setting aside public lands so that future generations would enjoy abundant wildlife in its natural habitat, Roosevelt’s actions didn’t stop with the refuge system.

He played a major part in the establishment of the Olympic National Park, home of the world’s largest concentration of the Roosevelt elk.

In 1897, President Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Reserve. In 1909, much of what would become Olympic National Park was declared a national monument by Theodore Roosevelt. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Teddy’s nephew by marriage, signed legislation creating the Olympic National Park.

Theodore Roosevelt was a man of many interests and many talents. Volumes have been written by numerous writers who have attempted to capture and tell his life’s story. He was a prolific writer himself.

He was an historian, a naturalist, a soldier, a hunter, a rancher, a doting husband and father. The list could go on. He was also a bird-watcher – not a lister, but someone who had an interest in birds and who enjoyed studying them.

There were many facets to the personality of the famous Rough Rider affectionately known as Teddy by an admiring nation.

Roosevelt is one of my heroes. As a child I admired the Rough Rider. Over the years, there has been much more to know and admire about him.

How exciting it would have been to live under TR, who some refer to as “our great conservationist president.” Happy Birthday, Teddy.

Write to Joan Carson, PO Box 217, Poulsbo, WA 98370. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply.