The Impact of Margaret Murie on Environmental History

Margaret Murie credit to USFWS

Section 1: Describe an important person in environmental history

    Margaret Murie, otherwise known as Mardy Murie was an environmental advocate who lived to be 101 years old. She was considered an American naturalist and conservationist who made the creation of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge in Alaska a possibility. She was also thought to be the “grandmother of the conservation movement”. Growing up in Alaska, Mrs. Murie had lots of exposure to the outdoors and wildlife unique to the area which originally sparked her passion and commitment to the environment (Wilderness Connect). After graduating college at 22 and as the first woman to graduate from Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, she married Olaus Murie who was a biologist as well as an environmental advocate. Together they would become incredibly influential people in the environmental world. They did a lot of their projects together such as studying elk populations, gathering information about wildlife populations in multiple states, giving talks, writing articles, and supporting wildlife preservation (Britannica). Mr and Mrs Murie worked hand in hand to collect data sometimes even with their children on their expeditions. The environment was one of the most important things to both of them, and their dedication and hard work led them to be major factors in environmental history. So much so, that she received many awards including but not limited to, The Audubon Medal, the John Muir Award, the Robert Marshal Conservation Award, the J.N Ding Darling Conservationist of the year award, and in 1998, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton (Wilderness Connect).




Olaus and Mardy Murie by Fish and Game Wildlife Services

    Olaus Murie, born in 1889 played a huge role in environmental history. He married Mardy Murie in 1927 and thus began their life's mission of helping protect the earth. Before their marriage, he attended the University of Oregon where he graduated with a degree in zoology and wildlife biology. With a passion for the environment, since he was a child, as well as Mrs. Murie, they would create a lasting impact. They conducted numerous scientific explorations that enforced the necessity of the creation of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Although Mr. Murie did not live to see the Wilderness Act pass, it was put into law a year after his death in 1964. Before his passing, Olaus Murie was a Conservationist Officer in Oregon, a wildlife biologist, a council member, and director of the Wilderness Society. As well as playing huge roles in the enlargement of national park boundaries in the Olympic National Monument and Jackson Hole National Monument, he also assisted in halting the creation of large harmful dams in Glacier National Park and Dinosaur National Monument (NPS). Olaus Murie dedicated his whole life to the environment and its protection and achieved many important stepping stones that lead us to the land we have today, such as the Arctic Wildlife Refuge that he spent his last year working towards. Without the Muries, much of the progress we’re able to see today wouldn’t have been possible.

Section 2: Describe an event or policy in environmental history that is relevant to the person described.

Caribou in the Mountains by Danielle Brigida


    An environmental policy majorly relevant to Margaret Murie and her husband is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. What started as a trip for Mr and Mrs. Murie quickly turned into a campaign to help create a wildlife refuge including 8 million acres. This was made possible with the help of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, William Douglas. The goal was to convince President Eisenhower that the conservation of this land was necessary to expand and keep national parks intact, crucial for scientific research, and expressed the importance of land preservation. Unfortunately, Olaus Murie passed in 1963 and was unable to witness the Wilderness Act being passed in 1964 (Wilderness Connect). Today, the refuge expanded to 19 million acres and hosts a plethora of wildlife species including but not limited to, black, brown, and polar bears, wolves, and over 200 species of birds. The conservation is open to the public with access to all 19 million acres which have no roads, trails, or facilities of any sort (FWS). Without Mardy and Olaus Murie, the creation of this refuge likely wouldn’t have occurred which has become a crucial home to thousands of species of plants and animals. This conservation act was so important because it preserved some of the last wilderness land left and doing so has left a positive environmental impact.

Section 3. Describe conflicts that others have had with this person

Oil drilling machinery by Maqndon

    When researching Mardy Murie, I couldn’t find any specific conflicts regarding her, but I found some areas of conflict pertaining to her preservation. Due to her key role in the conservation of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge which is one of the last large areas of land protected from development, some companies who could benefit from development there have been fighting for a chance at just that, specifically oil companies. The area was protected by laws until 2017, congress made a backdoor in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which allowed the Trump administration to start leasing pieces of land to large oil drilling companies (Wilderness Society). Since this land has been untouched for so long, the possible profits are extremely admirable to big companies, but not so much to the native people of the land or environmental activists. The indigenous communities of the Gwich’in and Iñupiat people rely heavily on the land and animals as well as playing a crucial role in the conservation of the arctic ecosystem. The leasing and drilling would create devastating impacts not only to the land but to the animals and people who inhabit the area. In another article by the Wilderness Society, they discuss how this isn't just about protecting the land and animals, it could potentially endanger the Gwich’in people making this a human rights matter, not just an environmental issue. The people who disagree with the preservation of the land are large oil companies and all who benefit from that, which then creates many issues if oil drilling does begin on the land. The Sierra Club argues that this is a human rights matter as well in their article on oil drilling in the refuge. “This is about human rights and cultural traditions to remain able to thrive in a way of life without development that benefits very few at the expense of many.”(Sierra Club). They encourage those who hold power in the White House and Congress to do what's right and stop the leasing of the land as well as everyone who has a say in who those in power are. The issue at hand ties to Mardy Murie because without her actions, the land likely would have been used for drilling decades ago.

Section 4. Describe how this person, and the events / policies, affected the lives of people in Keene, NH.

Planet Earth by Reto Stöckli

    Without the actions of Mardy Murie, many preservation acts and research would not exist. This may not seem important to people in Keene, NH, or anywhere, but it is. Without the preservation of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, the land would likely be used for oil drilling. Not only would this irreversibly harm the plants, animals, and people who inhabit the area but it would impact the environment vastly. The refuge is roughly the size of South Carolina and has no developed spaces. Now imagine the damage it would cause to fill that space with oil rigs, trucks, planes, landing strips, etc. By doing this, it would further impact our greenhouse gas emissions as well as pollute the air. Now, not only would it be killing the polar bears, walruses, seals, indigenous communities, and the land, it would have a direct effect on us and the planet we live on. By adding more and more oil drills, or developments to land that is preserved, we’re lowering the amount of time we have left to fix the mistakes we’ve already made environmentally.