Marjory Stoneman Douglas Archives - Friends of the Everglades

Happy birthday, Majory Stoneman Douglas

Happy birthday, Marjory Stoneman Douglas! Our spirited founder was born on this day in 1890, 133 years ago. Marjory deepened human connection with the Everglades through her seminal book The Everglades: River of Grass, which was published in 1947, the same year Everglades National Park was founded. Her efforts to preserve, protect, and restore the only Everglades in the world continue through Friends of the Everglades, which she founded in 1969 at the age of 79 — proving it’s never too late to leave a positive mark on the world! Marjory wore many hats, literally and figuratively, and her impacts on this beloved, unique ecosystem endure, which is why her birthday is still worth celebrating! April 7 is officially [...]

Allie Preston2023-04-05T11:16:37-04:00April 7th, 2023|Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Marjory's Circle|

Friends of the Everglades joins Hulu at SXSW: Bridging the Gender Gap in Public Art

Bridging the Gender Gap in Public Art panelists (from left) Brenda Berkman, of Monumental Women, Saya Woolfalk, artist, Eve Samples, Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades, and Vivi Nguyen, of Hulu. Friends of the Everglades is thrilled to be part of an exciting initiative, sponsored by Hulu, honoring the lives and spirits of three visionary women who made history. Of roughly 5,200 monuments in this country, fewer than 400 are dedicated to women. That imbalance inspired the video-streaming company Hulu to create three new public monuments — including one dedicated to Friends of the Everglades founder Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The Made By Her: Monumental Women initiative, which honors the contributions to society made by Marjory Stoneman [...]

Allie Preston2023-03-17T15:16:26-04:00March 17th, 2023|All Posts, Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

Marjory’s Circle Member Spotlight: Meet David Marshall and Teri Garcia-Marshall

Marjory’s Circle launched in 2020 to sustain the legacy of our spirited founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The group that emerged hails from all over, possessing different backgrounds and motivations, but is connected by a desire to see the Everglades protected and preserved. Meet David & Teri Name: David Marshall and Teri Garcia-Marshall Location: Miami, FL/Naples, FL Marjory’s Circle Members since: 2022 (David) and 2023 (Teri) David and Teri are longtime residents of Florida. They split time between homes on the east and west coasts, in Miami and Naples, a frequent trip that leads them by way of Alligator Alley through the heart of Florida’s Everglades. Both exude praise and appreciation for the one-of-a-kind ecosystem — expressing awe for the [...]

Allie Preston2023-03-09T09:28:31-05:00March 9th, 2023|Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Marjory's Circle|

A Conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning author, Jack E. Davis

Dr. Jack E. Davis is a professor of history at the University of Florida, and the Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities specializing in environmental history and sustainability studies. He is the author or editor of 10 books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea. Friends of the Everglades had the opportunity to host a live conversation with Jack during our Marjory Stoneman Douglas Legacy Luncheon on December 5, 2022, at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove. The conversation was especially meaningful as Jack is well-versed in the life and work of Friends of the Everglades founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, having written a 730-page biography about her more than a decade ago. Jack is [...]

Allie Preston2022-12-19T09:03:33-05:00December 19th, 2022|Clean Water Conversations, Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

Honoring Tom Van Lent: 2022 recipient of our Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Everglades Restoration award

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Everglades Restoration award acknowledges contributions to science-based solutions that drive forward the central mission of Friends of the Everglades: to preserve, protect and restore the only Everglades in the world. No person has brought about more recent advancements in Everglades-restoration science than Dr. Thomas Van Lent. Tom built a science program that provides a credible basis for advocacy — one that the entire Everglades community has leaned on as guidance for action — and has been directly involved in nearly every major Everglades issue for the past two decades, from water-quality litigation to Everglades restoration projects. Friends of the Everglades board member Alan Farago said it best when presenting Tom [...]

Allie Preston2022-12-08T15:30:09-05:00December 8th, 2022|Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Science-driven solutions|

Honoring Theodora Long: 2022 recipient of our Defender of the Everglades award

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Defender of the Everglades award is presented annually to a person with exemplary commitment to Friends of the Everglades’ mission to preserve, protect and restore the only Everglades in the world. This award acknowledges the recipient's significant contributions to the world of Everglades restoration and highlights someone who embodies the spirit of our founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas. This year we honored Theodora Long. A respected and dedicated environmentalist, Theo serves as the Executive Director of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center — a nonprofit organization that shares heritage with Friends of the Everglades in that it was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969. Theo’s esteemed stewardship was fostered in part by a longstanding [...]

Allie Preston2022-12-08T15:22:38-05:00December 8th, 2022|Defender of the Everglades Award, Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

2nd Annual Marjory Stoneman Douglas Legacy Luncheon Highlights

Thanks to those who joined us, our second annual Marjory Stoneman Douglas Legacy Luncheon on December 5, 2022, at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove! “It is good people who make good places,” novelist Anna Sewell once said, and your presence boosted our spirits and strengthened our resolve. We invite you to enjoy some photo highlights from the event below. [...]

Allie Preston2022-12-07T14:48:04-05:00December 7th, 2022|Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

75 Years of Everglades National Park

The river of grass stretches out over Miccosukee lands north of Tamiami Trail on Oct. 25, 2022. 75 Years of Everglades National Park "There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them: their vast glittering openness, wider than the enormous visible round of the horizon, the racing free saltness and sweetness of their massive winds, under the dazzling blue heights of space. They are unique also in the simplicity, the diversity, the related harmony of the forms of life they enclose. The miracle of the light pours over the green and brown expanse of [...]

Allie Preston2022-11-30T14:30:48-05:00December 6th, 2022|Everglades National Park, Everglades Zen, Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

Marjory’s Circle Member Spotlight: Meet Annie Potts

Marjory’s Circle launched in 2020 to sustain the legacy of our spirited founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The group that emerged hails from all over, possessing different backgrounds and motivations, but is connected by a desire to see the Everglades protected and preserved. Meet Annie Potts Name: Annie Potts Location: Palm City, FL Member since: December 2021 As a long-time supporter of historic lighthouse restoration in the Bahamas, Annie Potts is no stranger to the tenacious work required of preservation efforts or the impact that individuals can make when they join forces. Born in New York, Annie has lived in Palm City for more than 30 years. The secluded little peninsula she calls home juts into the south fork of [...]

Allie Preston2023-02-07T15:52:03-05:00October 13th, 2022|Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Marjory's Circle|

On Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ birthday, your support empowers our resilience

Today is Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ birthday, and we find ourselves contemplating the pursuits she championed as we try to see the challenges of today through our founder’s eyes. No doubt there’s been progress, but amid the salient victories, Florida’s wild spaces remain under grave attack. The Florida’s Legislature too often works to undercut environmental protections. Glades community residents deserve real protection from the environmental injustice of sugarcane burning. We still face an uphill battle against greed, corruption and bad politics more than two decades after Marjory’s death. If Marjory were around today, we think she’d be furious. We are also absolutely certain that despite this, she wouldn’t give up. In fact, it was part of her legacy to draw from [...]

Allie Preston2022-04-06T11:02:22-04:00April 7th, 2022|All Posts, Marjory Stoneman Douglas|