Rachel Carson

By Carson Drake

     Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907 in Springdale Pennsylvania and died of cancer on April 14, 1964 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Carson was a marine biologist who would later be responsible for banning the use of DDT a pesticide for the production of crops. In 1925 she entered the Pennsylvania College for Women for a major in English. However half way through the year she switched to biology. Her first experience with the U.S. Marine Laboratory in Massachusetts. Her experiences with writing and biology earned her a part time position in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries in 1935. She was one of the only two women to be employed at a professional level. She would eventually resign her position and devote her time to writing about the environment and wildlife. The book that woke many people to realizing how dangerous certain chemicals to the environment was called Silent Springs . The book talked about the dangers of DDT on the marine life. She waited for others to help her but ultimately decided that she was the only one. Fortunately, a woman from Europe named Shirley Briggs and another person named Clarence Cottam helped her document the effects of DDT on the environment. Eventually she announced her findings to the public and not surprising, was met with outrage. People began to personally attack her professional integrity and the pesticide industry moved to a massive campaign to discredit her even though she didn't want to completely remove pesticides but just to find and research new alternatives for a safer kind of pesticides. She was asked to testify before Congress and to show her case. Congress ruled that DDT wasto be banned. 

She was credited with the publication of the book and the awakening of concern for the environment.  

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/iZ/Rachel-Carson-lg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/audubon-women-conservation-47052011&usg=__FQR-BpFvbE3XQyyNlX68DTUTziM=&h=460&w=360&sz=20&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=mYWLGc3pqxV1YM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq%3DRachel%2BCarson%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 

www.fws.gov/northeast/rachelcarson/carsonbio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson