Margaret Thomas “Mardy” Murie (August 18, 1902 – October 19, 2003) was a naturalist, author, adventurer, and conservationist. Dubbed the “Grandmother of the Conservation Movement”[1] by both the Sierra Club[2] and the Wilderness Society,[3] she helped in the passage of the Wilderness Act, and was instrumental in creating the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She was the recipient of the Audubon Medal, the John Muir Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian honor awarded by the United States.
W“Margaret Murie.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Murie. Accessed 10 Dec. 2021.
Biography from the Encyclopdedia:
Margaret Murie | Saving Earth | Encyclopedia Britannica
Organizations Margaret Murie, also called Mardy Murie, neé Margaret Thomas, (born August 18, 1902, Seattle, Washington, U.S.-died October 19, 2003, Moose, Wyoming), American naturalist, conservationist, and writer who was a central contributor in efforts to establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, which earned her the popular title “grandmother of the conservation movement.”
Two in the Far North:
Two in the Far North
This enduring story of life, adventure, and love in Alaska was written by a woman who embraced the remote Alaskan wilderness and became one of its strongest advocates. In this moving testimonial to the preservation of the Arctic wilderness, Mardy Murie writes from her heart about growing up in Fairbanks, becoming the first woman graduate of the University of Alaska, and marrying noted biologist Olaus J.
Graduate of Reed College:
Live Wild
By Heather MacFarlane ’15 | Widely regarded as the matriarch of America’s conservation movement, Margaret “Mardy” Murie lived a devoted life close to the land. Born in 1902, Mardy Thomas grew up when Alaska truly was a frontier; mail was delivered by horse-drawn sled and people traveled by dogsled, not snowmobile.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR or Arctic Refuge) is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States on Gwich’in land. It consists of 19,286,722 acres (78,050.59 km2) in the Alaska North Slope region.[1] It is the largest national wildlife refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is administered from offices in Fairbanks. ANWR includes a large variety of species of plants and animals, such as polar bears, grizzly bears, black bears, moose, caribou, wolves, eagles, lynx, wolverine, marten, beaver and migratory birds, which rely on the refuge.
“Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_National_Wildlife_Refuge. Accessed 12 Dec. 2021.
The fight for conservation in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge continues today.
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