Environmentalist Greats Tour

Since Earth Day is only once a year, but environmentalism is a year-round venture, here’s a way to travel the earth in the footprints of good company. The Ecology Hall of Fame is not an actual place, but a Web site that lists various people instrumental in the environmental movement. Some of those listed do have places you might pass by in your travels or head to as a destination.

Here is a sampling of what I’m dubbing an “Environmentalist Greats of the East Coast” Tour. There are several others, but here’s four to start you off.

1. Edward Abbey –Most famous for his books the Monkey Wrench Gang and Desert Solitaire, Abbey was a true environment champion meshing politics and the environment with philosophy and literature. You can see the historic marker dedicated to him near the Home Township marker on State Route 119 in Pennsylvania.

2. Theodore Roosevelt– The first American president to throw himself into environmental causes. He increased the National Forest service by 400% and established the National Park and the National Monuments System. Visit his home Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York.

3. Rachel Carson – Author of Silent Spring, the book that pointed out science is not always used for the good. The balance between chemical use and food production is imperative for a healthy planet was Carson’s way of thinking. You can visit the Rachel Carson Homestead where she was born and grew up in Springdale, Pennsylvania and the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge in Maine that was named after her to enjoy the essence of Carson’s life.

4. Rosalie Barrow Edge– First woman to hold any position of prominence in the environmental movement. Her big thing was birds, particularly raptors. Her love led to her creation of the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Today, it is still a haven for hawks, eagles, falcons and warblers.