Ralph Waldt's Binocular Fund

As a professional naturalist, I spent my career guiding, teaching, and lecturing more than 12,000 students. Now semi-retired, I continue to avidly study and monitor all forms of wildlife and the science of ecology. Here in Arizona’s San Pedro Valley, I have conducted migratory bird surveys, monitored bird populations and documented threatened species occurrence for over two decades. I published a new book on the area’s remarkable ecology. None of this work would have been possible without the one tool that is quintessential to all naturalists - a good pair of binoculars. A naturalist without binoculars is like a microbiologist without a microscope, or a pilot without a plane. I cannot function without them.

After 33 years of constant use in the field, my current pair of Zeiss binoculars have finally reached a state of near-uselessness. The internal mechanisms have become inoperable - the lens barrels will no longer move in nor out, the focusing knob will no longer permit any focus closer than 24 feet, and the objective lenses (the most crucial on any pair of binoculars) have become etched with many fine scratches despite the exceptional care I give these lenses every time I clean them. Thus, I am seeking donations for a new pair of binoculars.

For a professional, high quality tools are essential. Three companies rise to the top when it comes to the quality of their binoculars - Zeiss, Leica, and Swarovski. All other makes pale by comparison. Of these, I have my sights set on a pair of Swarovski 10 x 42 binoculars. Swarovski has recently pioneered new manufacturing techniques that put the quality of its optical instruments above all others. The company offers the best repair/replacement warranties and has also invented a new accessory for eyeglass wearers like me. This invention maintains a precise distance between the binocular lenses and eyeglass lenses, eliminating the extremely annoying smudging that inevitably occurs when anyone who must wear eyeglasses attempts to use binoculars.

Swarovski is still offering its older model 10 X 42 EL binoculars for purchase at $2,199. (Consider constant inflation, and the fact that my 10X40 Zeiss binoculars sold for $1,000 thirty -three years ago.) I’d be extremely happy to own a pair of these fine instruments. Swarovski’s newest 10 X 42 binoculars, with even better optics and the eyeglass device, are currently listed at $3,099. I’d be ecstatic to have a pair of them. Depending upon the success of this appeal, I would like to purchase one or the other. They would likely be the last pair I may ever own, for I am not a young man anymore.

It is not in my nature to ask for money. I have always preferred to stand on my own two feet whenever possible. However, rapidly rising inflation coupled with scant Social Security incomes has made our current budget so tight that it has become difficult for my family to afford even the most basic of needs such as groceries.

Countless donations for various causes focus exclusively on human and/or societal needs. That is wonderful, but in so doing, we unintentionally ignore the rest of life on Earth…the 10-20+ million species that share this infinitely beautiful planet with us. Throughout my adult lifetime, I have always striven to bridge that gap, to speak for the countless living creatures that inhabit this world, to raise awareness, compassion, and respect for all life on Earth. Please consider helping me to continue this endeavor. A naturalist without binoculars is tool-less and thereby disabled.

One attractive aspect of the Go-Fund-Me platform is that it allows donors to remain anonymous if they wish. Any and all donations, no matter what the amount, will be deeply appreciated.