Margaret “Mardy” Murie (1902-2003) is the grandmother of the conservation movement. Driven by her love of learning and the great outdoors, she helped create the Arctic National Refuge in the land we know as Alaska.
Margaret “Mardy” Murie (1902-2003) is the grandmother of the conservation movement. Driven by her love of learning and the great outdoors, she helped create the Arctic National Refuge in the land we know as Alaska.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejeda. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
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Hi, I’m Alesandra Tejeda. I’m one of the writers and producers behind Womanica. I’m also a writer on As She Rises, another Wonder Media Network show.
As She Rises is about personalizing the elusive magnitude of climate change through the power of poetry and the stories of climate activists. Our second season brings together stories of success and hope in climate action. I hope you tune in for the last episode, coming out tomorrow.//on Friday.
I often think about what it takes for people to fight for a better world and how they keep going – which is why I’m excited to guest host this episode for our Eco Warriors month.
This month, we’re highlighting Eco Warriors: women fighting for conservation and ecological justice.
Today, we’re talking about the grandmother of the conservation movement. Driven by her love of learning and the great outdoors, she helped create the Arctic National Refuge in the land we know as Alaska.
Let’s talk about Mardy Murie.
Margaret Elizabeth Thomas was born on August 18, 1902 in Seattle, Washington. After her parents divorced and her mother remarried, she relocated with her mother to Fairbanks, Alaska.
While her mother had some difficulty adjusting to the solitude of their new home, Margaret, or Mardy, as she was often called, thrived. She enjoyed exploring her new surroundings and often ventured into the nearby forests. Her youth was full of adventure.
Despite her love for Alaska, Mardy initially went to college elsewhere.She spent two years at Reed College in Oregon , then a year at Simmons College in Boston before returning to Alaska. She completed her degree in business administration at what is now known as University of Alaska in 1924. Mardy was the first woman to graduate from the school.
That same year, she married a biologist named Olaus Murie. For their honeymoon they did what all nature lovers do–embarked on a 500 mile caribou research trip traveling by boat and dogsled.
When asked later about their unconventional r way of life she replied, “My answer to that is, always to think of all the things I didn’t have to do, like go to bridge parties or answer the phone or wax the floor.”
When they started having kids, Olaus and Mardy simply brought them along on the next adventure.
In 1927, Olaus was assigned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to study elk populations in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Mardy and their kids came, too.. They purchased a dude ranch that has since become a National Historic Landmark. Mardy kept busy in Jackson Hole, organizing victory gardens, exploring the Tetons [TEE-tahnz] – and diving deeper into conservation efforts.
When Olaus became president of the Wilderness Society, Mardy became a council member. She also helped found the Teton Science Schools.
Though Mardy and Olaus never moved back to Alaska, they often returned on trips, and Mardy never lost her connection to the place she grew up. She began dreaming of an official arctic refuge in her home state.
In the late 1950s, Mardy and Olaus, along with the zoologist George Schaller [SHAH-ler], went on an expedition together. They went to the Brooks Range in Alaska to explore the viability of federal protection for the region. With the help of former Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, Mardy convinced then President Dwight Eisenhower to devote 8 million acres for the preservation. In 1960, the Arctic National Wildlife Range was established.
Just a few years later, in 1963, Olaus passed away.
Shortly after his death, Mardy helped pass the 1964 Wilderness Act. It allowed Congress to designate certain areas as federally protected land. Mardy was in attendance at the White House when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act into law.
Mardy, in her later years, began receiving international acclaim for her work. In 1980, she received the Audubon Medal. A few years later, she was presented with the John Muir Award of the Sierra Club.
At 96, she was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
For Mardy, preserving the wilderness was imperative to life. She said,
“Wilderness itself is the basis of all our civilization. I wonder if we have enough reverence for life to concede to wilderness the right to live on?”
In 2003, Mardy died in her log cabin near Grand Teton National Park. She was 101 years old.
All month, we’re highlighting eco-warriors. For more information find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!