A Birthday Tribute to Rachel Carson Born On May 27,1907

This image and a shorter version of this brief bio were published on Facebook on May 27, 2011.

Happy Birthday Rachel Carson 5/27/07 to 4/14/1964. She was a Marine Biologist, Conservationist, author; Silent Spring 1962, and of many more volumes. She credited her mother with introducing her to the world of nature which became her lifelong passion.

Chemical companies fiercely railed against Ms. Carson’s book and her research denying the evidence that their products were poisonous to the environment and were killing birds. Raptors were especially negatively impacted by DDT. The female reproductive tract development of these large birds was hindered by DDT and this impaired eggshell quality which caused eagle and Peregrine Falcon populations in particular to plummet.

Ms. Carson posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Carter in 1980.

Thank you Rachel for all that you did for the world and for igniting a movement that persists today against great odds, the denial continues. Sadly it isn’t only the chemical companies that are deniers. Thankfully however, there have been victories along the way thanks to you and your inspiration.