Heroes in American Conservation: Who is the “Hawk of Mercy”?
Meet American Conservation Hero Rosalie Edge Who is she? Rosalie Edge (1877–1962) was a gifted, persuasive writer and speaker who used her talents to advance both the women’s suffrage movement and wildlife conservation. She led the charge to have Washington state’s Olympic peninsula protected as a National Park, and she was involved in protecting Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Grand Teton National Parks as well. Many of the battles Edge fought continue today: old-growth forest logging, air and water pollution and development still threaten precious wild and public lands. “The time to protect a species is while it is still common." – Rosalie Edge What animals inspired Edge? Edge took up birding in her late forties and was particularly infatuated with birds of prey. Her love of raptors and efforts to help them even earned her the nickname, “the Hawk of Mercy.” For instance, when she noticed the overzealous hunting of raptors that migrated each fall along the Kittatinny Ridge ...