The Everglades; a precious river Marjory Stoneman Douglas (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998) was an American journalist, writer, and environmentalist known for her staunch defense of the Florida Everglades against drainage and development. Moving 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 precious river rather than a worthless swamp. Published the same year as the formal opening of Everglades National Park, the book was a call to attention to the degradation of the quality of life in the Everglades and continues to remain an influential book on nature conservation, as well as a reference for information about the South of Florida. Its impact has been compared to that of the influential 1962 book Silent Spring. Dougla's books, short stories, and journalism career brought his influence to Miami, which he used to advance his 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 there would be no adverse effects. Canals and dams were dug to control seasonal flooding. Farmers grew vegetables in the rich soil of the reclaimed land, ranchers grazed livestock on the land, and new rail lines were built to connect communities throughout South Florida; but the Everglades ecosystem was not suitable for either agriculture or ranching. The natural cycle of dry and wet seasons has brought a devastating series of droughts and floods. These have always been a p... means of paper... a crystal tropical light that her ceaseless activism has kept clearly visible, right down to the very way generations of Floridians look upon their homeland, upon the monument to Mrs. Douglas. it's all around us. Reference List Bryant, Jennifer (1992). Marjory Stoneman Douglas: The Voice of the Everglades. (An EarthKeepers book). Frederick, MD: Twenty-First Century Books. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. The Watercourse and Western RegionalEnvironmental 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 Biology Quarterly Review; P. 346 Miami Science Museum (1995). http://falcon.miamisci.org/everglades/animals.htmlStoneman, M. S (1997). Everglades: river of grass. Sarasota: Pineapple Press.