Mr. James J. Brett

James J. Brett, Curator Emeritus, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

James J. Brett, 84, of Kempton, died on Friday, December 29, 2023 at Cornerstone Living, in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.  He was the husband of the late Dorothy R. (Wirtz) Brett who died in September 2020.

Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and raised in Shillington, Pennsylvania, James was the son of the late John T. (Jack) Brett, and Anna (Heckenberger) Brett.  He was a graduate of Governor Mifflin High School and Kutztown State Teachers’ College where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Education. James completed postgraduate studies at Cornell University and University of Southern California and was presented with an honorary Doctoral Degree from Kutztown University in 2011.

James Brett was a prominent figure in the area of conservation education on a global scale.  James was the former Curator at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary where he initiated the International Global Wildlife Educational Internship Program in 1976, as well as his work on wildlife heritage in the Commonwealth. He was named Curator Emeritus at Hawk Mountain in 2013.  After James left Hawk Mountain in 1996, he was named the first Executive Director of the Ned Smith Center for Nature and the Arts, before being appointed by former Gov. Ridge as the Commonwealth’s Senior Conservation Advisor.  During his tenure with Ridge, he formed the Governor’s Youth Council for Sportsmen’s Concerns and Conservation. James continued his conservation work with the state government into Governor Rendell’s administration where he served as an Assistant to the Secretary of Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  James was recognized by the Department of Environmental Protection as one of the top environmental leaders of Pennsylvania and was the co-founder of the PA Institute for Conservation Education which has received recognition from across the state for its development of innovative natural history education and stewardship programs offered to a diverse audience. James traveled extensively around the world and led wildlife excursions to Eastern and Southern Africa, Israel and Central America with his company, The Naturecorp Group.  James also led the Ngare Sero Foot Print Project working with Tanzania Division of Antiquities under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. James was a prolific writer having authored and co-authored three books, Feathers in the Wind , The Mountain and the Migration: A Guide to Hawk Mountain , and Hawk Mountain: A Conservation Success Story.

James is survived by his three children, Dr. Christine (Brett), wife of Donald Ryan, Kutztown, Andrew Brett, Kutztown, and Matthew Brett, husband of Shelby (Rudolph), Lenhartsville; four grandchildren, Cecily Ryan, Michaela Ryan, Mason Brett, and Mitchell Brett.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded by brother, Thomas Brett and a daughter, Suzanne Brett.

A visitation for James will be held on Thursday, January 4, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Ludwick Funeral Homes and Cremation Care, Inc., 333 Greenwich Street, Kutztown, PA. Inurnment at Snyder’s Cemetery, in Albany Township, will be private and at the convenience of the family. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. at the Kempton Fire Company, 2461 PA-143, Kempton, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in James’ memory to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, PA  19529 or Kempton Fire Company, P.O. Box 62, Kempton, PA 19529.

Ludwick Funeral Homes and Cremation Care, Inc., Kutztown, PA is in charge of arrangements. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.Ludwickfh.com.