The Everglades; a precious riverMarjory Stoneman Douglas (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998) was an American journalist, writer, and environmentalist known for her fierce defense of the Florida Everglades against drying and development. Having moved to Miami as a young woman to work for the Miami Herald, Douglas became a freelance writer, producing over a hundred short stories published in popular magazines. His most influential work was the book The Everglades: River of Grass (1947), which redefined the popular conception of the Everglades as a valuable river rather than a worthless swamp. Published the same year as the official opening of Everglades National Park, the book was a call for attention to the degrading quality of life in the Everglades and continues to remain an influential book on nature conservation as well as a South Florida information reference. Its impact has been compared to that of the influential 1962 book Silent Spring. Dougla's books, stories, and career as a journalist gave her influence in Miami, which she used to advance her causes. Florida became a state in 1845 and almost immediately people began proposing draining the Everglades. In 1848, a government report stated that draining the Everglades would be easy and cause no ill effects. Canals and dams were dug to control seasonal flooding. Farmers grew vegetables in the rich soil of the drained lands, ranchers grazed their livestock on dry land, and new railroad lines were built to connect South Florida communities. but the Everglades ecosystem was not suitable for agriculture or ranching. The natural cycle of wet and dry seasons has caused a series of devastating droughts and floods. These have always been a p...... middle of paper ...... crystal clear tropical light that his ceaseless activism has kept clear, the very way generations of Floridians look upon their land, the monument to Mrs. Douglas is all around us.Reference ListBryant, Jennifer (1992). Marjory Stoneman Douglas: Voice of the Everglades. (An EarthKeepers book). Frederick, MD: Twenty-First Century Books. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. The River and West Regional Environmental Education Council. (1995) Project Wet: Water Education for Teachers. Douglas, Marjory Stoneman. The Everglades: river of grass. Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1947. Giles, Norman (1948). "The Everglades: River of Grass. Rivers of America." The quarterly journal of biology; p. 346Miami Science Museum (1995). http://falcon.miamisci.org/everglades/animals.htmlStoneman, M.S. (1997). Everglades: river of grass. Sarasota: Pineapple Press.