By: Ashley Rogers, Former NJSOC Education Intern
This year, we are highlighting conservationists and environmental advocates who have made remarkable contributions to our society. Through these accounts, we hope to inspire our own community to take action, since each one of us could make a difference for our planet!
For our first conservationist, we are highlighting the work of Margaret Murie, who was born on August 18th, 1902. Known as the “grandmother of the conservation movement,” Murie helped advance the field for future ecologically-minded females. Murie is best known for her work in expanding the Arctic range through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. She specifically helped to guarantee the preservation of greater than 100 million acres through the creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In addition to her work in Alaska, Murie developed the Grand Teton National Park and the Teton Science School. Murie also passed the Wilderness Act and aided in the conservation organization, Wilderness Society, as both a secretary and councilwoman. Finally, she earned numerous awards during her life, including the Robert Marshall Conservation Award, J.N. Ding Darling Conservationist of the Year Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Our hope here at the NJSOC is to offer school trips, public programming, and professional development conferences, so that people from all backgrounds could explore nature and all that it provides. With our efforts and those of others, more New Jerseyans may discover the importance of conservation, following in the footsteps of environmental leaders, like Murie. For more information about her work, visit Britannica and Women in Exploration.
