Marjory Stoneman Douglas: Everglades Champion
Marjory Stoneman Douglas, champion of the Florida Everglades and founder of Florida's environmental movement passed away on May 14th, 1998 at the age of 108. Her lifetime achievements include work as a civil rights activist, a crusader for women's rights, a journalist and playwright, and the first Florida woman in the U.S. Naval Reserves. Her greatest legacy, however, is the profound impact she had on the environment, notably in South Florida. Her book entitled The Everglades: River of Grass, published in 1947, served to bring public attention to the Everglades at a time when people looked upon the Everglades as little more than a swamp. The book took five years to research, but as she later wrote, it was "an idea that would consume me for the rest of my life."courtesy of National Park Service
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Later in the same year, the Everglades National Park was formally dedicated by Harry Truman "for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people." It was the country's first national park to be recognized primarily for its biological - not geological - significance. The recognition of the Everglades as a unit of the National Park Service was in no small part due to the work of Mrs. Douglas, who had written articles as a columnist and also had worked on a committee since the 1920's for the establishment of the park.
In the 1960's when the federal government began to consider plans for an international airport that would straddle the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp, Mrs. Douglas became an environmental activist (a term not even coined at the time) and helped to found the grassroots organization Friends of the Everglades. Today, the environmental movement in support of the Everglades that was started by Mrs. Douglas has grown more fractionalized as it has grown larger, with more than 40 groups belonging to the Everglades Coalition.
courtesy of National Park Service
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Though Everglades National Park celebrated its 50th birthday just a few years ago, it has been fighting for its life ever since its inception. Explosive population growth in South Florida has forced the rechanneling and draining of the Everglades, which has in turn decimated the wildlife habitat, introduced non-native water-absorbing plants, and prevented the necessary fresh water to flow through the system. As important as last 50 years have been in the development and protection of the park, the next half century is probably even more important in terms of protecting the fragile nature of the environment.
Recently a plan was approved by Congress to restore the River of Grass. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will capture freshwater destined for sea and direct it back to the ecosystem to revitalize it. It will also improve water supplies for people and farms. The nation's largest such project, it will cost $7.8 billion and take more than 20 years to develop.
Everglades National Park offers a number of year-round visitor activities, including hiking, canoeing, boating, and fishing. The best time to visit is during the winter when birds are plentiful and mosquitoes are (slightly) less so. For further information, call (305) 242-7700.
Other useful resources:
Everglades 101 - a brief explanation of the Everglades ecosystem, water management, with lots of links.
Everglades Information Network - a program of library and information services in support of research, restoration, and resource management of the South Florida environment.
Young Friends of the Everglades - a student organization concerned with environmental awareness and protection of the Everglades.