04/07/2026
Journalism, activism, suffrage, and conservation define what we remember about Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Born on this day in 1890, Douglas’ role in defending The Everglades make her one of Miami’s most inspiring figures to all that give thanks for the preservation of what Douglas called “The River of Grass”.
Douglas wrote tirelessly for The Miami Herald calling for social reform as Miami boomed and busted in the 1920s and 30s, but it wasn’t until 1947 and the publication of “The Everglades: River of Grass” that one could argue that Stoneman Douglas had found her true calling. Her book was a meticulously researched human and ecological history of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, and more importantly, it was a call to action to safeguard the region from development. Douglas espoused that “there are no other Everglades in the world”, which has become the defining rehtoric of the book, and it is true; there is no other ecosystem like this on our planet.
Today, the conservation and preservation and restoration of the Everglades is well underway. Stoneman Douglas famously said that “conservation was a dead word” in Miami, adding that “you can’t conserve what you don’t have”. Thankfully, we still have the Everglades and for a time, we had Marjory Stoneman Douglas to call for the safeguarding of what is one of the world’s most precious places. Happy birthday and thank you, Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
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🗺 - In , you are on Seminole land.
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