Marjorie Harris Carr's interest in the world around her began in the early 1920's during a childhood spent in a beautiful, remote part of Southwest Florida called Bonita Springs in Lee County. It was nurtured by parents who were both naturalists and who, as Marjorie states, "knew the answers to the questions I had about the natural world." Early in her childhood she also saw the devastation thoughtless people could wreak upon their surroundings. When she was a child, a person could paddle a canoe down the Imperial River from Bonita to the Gulf and not see a living thing, not an alligator, not a red bird, not a heron...nothing. Everything had been shot by people who thought it was fun to kill anything that moved along the riverbank. From childhood, Marjorie recognized both the beauty and the fragility of Florida's environment.

Marjorie received a BS in Zoology at Florida State College for Women (FSCW, now Florida State University) in 1936. She was heavily influenced by professors who were early ecologists--who studied the relationship of flora, fauna and terrain in an environment. In 1990, Marjorie wrote in the Foreword to Ecosystems of Florida, which was edited by Ronald L. Myers and John J. Ewel:

Absorbing all this information (from Botany professors Herbert Stoddard and Herman Kurz) was enormously satisfying. What a pleasure it was to go into the woods and fields and, by recognizing a set of characteristic key plants, be able to put a name to a particular association of plants. It was thrilling to look at a landscape and think perhaps you knew its past history and its future. The ability to "read" a landscape provides the kind of pleasure that comes from a knowledge of Bach or Shakespeare or Van Gogh. It is a pleasure that increases with your knowledge and understanding of the ecology of Florida, and it lasts an entire lifetime (xiii).

While in college (summers 1934 and 1935), she designed and taught a field course in natural history for young people throughout Lee County. This project was part of the National Youth Administration, a New Deal organization.

The summer after graduating from FSCW she got a job as a wildlife technician with a fish hatchery that was a part of the Resettlement Administration, another New Deal organization. The facility was located at Welaka. A couple of "firsts" happened for her here: she was the first female wildlife technician employed by the U.S. government, and it was her first encounter with the Ocklawaha River.

In 1937 she met and married naturalist and author, Archie Carr. During their fifty years marriage, they made a home for their family on a pond in the woods near Micanopy, raised five children and continued their work in conservation. In 1942 Marjorie received a Masters of Science in Zoology from the University of Florida. Her thesis, which was later published, dealt with the breeding habits, embryology and larval development of the large-mouthed black bass of Florida.

EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL WORK

Marjorie's work on behalf of the environment started in Gainesville in the early 1960's during the time she was a member of the Alachua Audubon Society and the Garden Club. Both organizations contained an extremely vigorous membership which took leadership positions on local environmental matters. Marjorie's organizational and inspirational abilities were honed during this time.

Marjorie and other members of the Garden Club of Gainesville initiated the Payne's Prairie Wildlife Refuge. In the early 1960's, the refuge was only as wide as the right-of-way for US Highway 441. The group landscaped the entrance to the Prairie, planted cabbage palms along the road's route and created viewing areas. This small beginning started the work which has now culminated in the Payne's Prairie State Preserve. She also worked to save and restore Lake Alice on the campus of the University of Florida.

Marjorie started the Junior Naturalists of Alachua Audubon, a program which for several years was very active in Alachua County schools. She was also instrumental in initiating a nature-photography competition dealing with Florida landscapes. Elliot Porter and other prominent photographers from around the nation served as judges. This competition selected photographs on the basis of their success in picturing the intangible aspects of Florida's environment. It was the first such photography competition ever held in the United States.

THE CROSS FLORIDA BARGE CANAL

In 1962, the Alachua Audubon Society of Gainesville invited two representatives of state and federal agencies to give a talk on the probable effects of the Cross Florida Barge Canal on Florida's environment. The talk was well presented and well illustrated with slides and charts. It was well-rehearsed. But, as Marjorie recalls, a "blizzard" of questions followed the presentation--questions about the economics of the project, the effects construction would have on the geology, hydrology and ecology of the canal project area. These were questions for which the government speakers had no satisfactory answers.

As Marjorie recalled in a speech she gave at the 12th Biennial Sierra Club Wilderness Conference in Washington, DC, in 1971: "The audience that had come to the meeting with a completely neutral attitude toward the canal project went away that evening disturbed, uneasy, and determined to find out more about the probable effects of the barge canal on the Florida environment."

This was the beginning of the major portion of Marjorie Harris Carr's environmental work. She was the prime mobilizer and motivator in the struggle to stop construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Today, in her 80's and in poor health, she continues as a motivator to the Floridians who go on with the work of restoring 16 miles of the Ocklawaha River which was dammed and flooded during the early construction stages of the barge canal.

In 1969, members of the Audubon Society and others created Florida Defenders of the Environment (FDE). This group of hydrologists, geologists, economists, zoologists and other concerned citizens wrote a carefully researched, scientific report called the Environmental Impact of the Cross Florida Barge Canal With Special Emphasis on the Ocklawaha River System. Marjorie, in partnership with Bill Partington, organized and directed this group of professionals to prepare this report which provided the fundamental information necessary to assess the impact of the barge canal on the river valley. This impact statement, one of the first such reports written by any citizen's group in the nation was, along with the work being done by Art Marshall in the Everglades, a motivating factor in the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in the early 1970's.

In 1970, FDE entered into a suit with the Environmental Defense Fund to stop the construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. A Federal judge issued an injunction stopping construction in January of 1971 and three days later President Nixon halted construction citing potential serious environmental damage.

Throughout this and all subsequent battles, Marjorie has clung to the principle of making environmental decisions based on sound scientific and technical information. During her 30 year presidency of FDE, Marjorie has followed the precepts of sticking only to the facts and of not engaging in emotional attacks in the complex, delicate and long-term work of environmental protection.

In 1976, Marjorie and others spoke before the Governor and Cabinet. After two days of testimony, Governor Askew and the Cabinet voted to ask Congress to de-authorize the barge canal and restore the Ocklawaha. The work to de-authorize the canal was continued by FDE until 1990 when the barge canal was finally de-authorized. Today, Marjorie and FDE continue to work to restore the Ocklawaha River and its riverine forest.

FLORIDA DEFENDERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

As president of Florida Defenders of the Environment, Marjorie has inspired, organized and raised the money for many diverse projects. Among these are the creation of the Environmental Service Center (ESC) in Tallahassee, dedicated to identifying the most pressing environmental issues facing Florida and utilizing FDE's pool of talented specialists to "get the facts" on these issues. The ESC existed from 1980 until 1988. In 1984 FDE/ESC sponsored "Florida: Paradise Regained, It Can Be Done," a large, three day conference addressing growth management.

Other reports and conferences produced during Marjorie's time as FDE's president are: Proceedings of the FDE Conference on the Apalachicola River Drainage System, (in cooperation with Florida's Department of Natural Resources); a series of 7 bulletins on Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida (in conjunction with Florida Audubon); a forum on Florida's transportation which resulted in the report, Transportation and Florida's Future; and an American Assembly Conference on phosphate mining in Florida, which resulted in the publication of A Source Book on Phosphate Mining in Florida.

FDE/ESC also designed and sponsored the Fish and Wildlife Non-Game program, the second largest non-game trust in the nation. Other conferences were held on the consequence of population growth in Florida (1973), Gulf Coast salt marshes (1978), the Withlacoochee River (1979), fresh water supply problems (1980), Florida panther survival (1986), and a workshop for Florida's independent environmental groups (1987).

In the 1990's, Marjorie, along with John H. Kaufmann, Ph.D., wrote the report, Restoring the Ocklawaha River Ecosystem, which outlines the problems and solutions to restoring the river. Marjorie and John Kaufmann also produced a script for a video on restoring the river. Efforts to restore the Ocklawaha River continue, and Marjorie remains an inspiration and motivator to those working to ensure the river again flows freely.

Broadly speaking, Marjorie Harris Carr's major contribution to Florida has been, through her diligent work, her integrity and her indomitable spirit, to help raise the level of environmental consciousness among Florida's citizens. She is certainly not alone in this endeavor, but her particular contribution has been incalculable. When asked how she has been able to stick to her work for so long, Marjorie's answer is simple: "I am an optimist," she says, "I also believe that Floridians care about their environment. If they are educated about its perils, if they are never lied to, they will become stewards of the wild places that are left."


Florida Defenders of the Environment
4424 NW 13 Street, Ste. C-8
Gainesville, FL 32609
Phone: (352) 378-8465
E-mail: fde@fladefenders.org

http://www.fladefenders.org