How Mardy Murie, Wyoming’s Grandmother Of Conservation, Inspired The Wilderness Act

Pine, sage and alpine surround the scattered buildings residing beneath the Grand Tetons. Class is in session and voices can be heard above the bird song.

Teton Science Schools were created in 1967 when Ted Major, a local high school science teacher, sought to use the outdoors to connect people to places. Today, Science Schools are across multiple campuses and is a leader in place-based education for students of all ages from all across the United States.

The Murie Ranch, one of the campuses serving of Teton Science Schools, was the home of the Wyoming woman who’s become known as the “Grandmother of Conservation.” Elizabeth “Mardy” Murie served on the founding board of Teton Science Schools and lived at the ranch until her death in 2003.

She had first arrived in Jackson Hole in 1927 with her husband, Olaus.

His new job was to direct field studies of the threatened elk herds, and it was just the latest adventure the couple had embarked on. They had been married in 1924, and this started for the Muries a lifetime of travel, scientific research and involvement in conservation activities.

“They're symbolic of people that really stood for doing things that were bigger than themselves,” said Sam Neirman, the program coordinator of Murie Ranch. “They did things for the greater good. I think their contributions to wilderness and to Jackson Hole of the state of Wyoming and the United States as a whole, is largely a reflection of that.”

Margaret (Mardy) Elizabeth Thomas was born in Seattle in 1902, but spent her childhood in Fairbanks, Alaska.

In 1924, she was the first woman to graduate from the University of Alaska and it was that same year she married Olaus to begin a mission of wilderness advocacy. When they arrived in Jackson Hole, she was mesmerized by the beauty of Wyoming and determined to preserve it for future generations.

Murie Ranch

In 1945, the STS Dude Ranch underwent a transformation to return it to its wild roots when the couple, along with Adolph and Louise Murie, bought the property. For years, the dude ranch located just west of Moose, Wyoming, had catered to tourists wanting to experience the West and the cowboy lifestyle.

The Murie families had a new vision for this stretch of land nestled in a meadow of sage and sticky geranium. For Wilderness Society Director Olaus Murie, their new home represented the heart of American wilderness.

The Murie Ranch became a base camp for conservation leaders. These passionate advocates met to campaign for the protection of the American wilderness and formed the Wilderness Society. The Muries’ conservation work culminated in the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act which defined wilderness as a place “untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor and does not remain.”

60 Year Anniversary Of The Wilderness Act

In 1956, the Wilderness Act was drafted at the Murie Ranch and, after eight years of lobbying, was passed by Congress. By then, Olaus had passed away and it was Mardy Murie who represented the family as she stood by President Lyndon B. Johnson as he signed the new act into law.

“The real legacy of the Muries’ is that they played a paramount role in the establishment of the United States Wilderness Act of 1964,” Neirman said. “What this allowed us to do was create wilderness areas. Today we have over 800 of them throughout the United States, and people are allowed to access them freely.

“It allows people to experience both the solitude and serenity of wildness. It really relates to this idea of doing things that would pay it forward to future generations.”

Teton Science School

The Murie Ranch became a campus of Teton Science Schools in 2015, an outdoor school that emphasizes environmental education for all ages.

“I often think about place as this really permeable idea that crosses barriers, politics, and demographics,” Neirman said. “To me, environmental education is about eliciting a feeling in somebody and reminding us that we all have places that we care about.”

“It is a means of allowing people to critically explore those places and to grow more curious about them, and also potentially to develop the stewardship skills to care of them.”

Under the Grand Tetons, students are invited to connect to the outdoors as their classroom to learn about the environment around them.

“What we try to do here at the science schools is to let people connect to the place and let those curiosities flourish as they uncover new things about place and themselves,” Neirman said.

There are three main areas of education available, including wilderness expeditions, outdoor classrooms, overnight and multi-day learning experiences, an independent K-8 day school, and educational consulting, all enhanced by the historic Murie Ranch.

“Our mission in large part is to connect people to place, and we do that in a multitude of ways,” Neirman said.” We have private schools, teaching workshops, outdoor learning experiences and wildlife expeditions. I specifically am a part of field education.

“Having congressional actions like the Wilderness Act really set a foundation that allows us to explore these places that are relatively untrampled and that feel wild and let us explore our curiosities in the fullest ways.”

A New Generation of Conservation

It has been over 20 years since Mardy Murie has passed away and the wilderness areas that she helped preserve remain much as they did when she first started advocating to keep them wild and open to the public.

“Many people in Wyoming aren’t even aware that they are recreating in areas that have been protected by this act,” Neiman said. “It is part of the legacy that the Murie’s have left us.”

Today, in Wyoming, the areas designated as protected wilderness include Cloud Peak, Popo Agie, Gros Ventre, Jedediah Smith, Encampment River and many other wilderness areas. Neiman believes that protecting these places is important for future generation.

“It does not matter whether it is a garden in your backyard or a huge wilderness area protected by the federal government,” he said.

“But it's a recognition that we all have places that we care about, and that there are tools and skills that we should build to explore them in a better way.”

In their mission to honor the Murie legacy and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Teton Science Schools is hosting the Murie Spirit of Conservation Wilderness Celebration at the Murie Ranch — a free, public event on October 6, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, featuring food, music, and the chance to connect with nature and the spirit of the Muries on a beautiful fall day.

“Many wilderness areas have been established in Wyoming because of this congressional act. So regardless of where people are from in the state of Wyoming, this congressional act has probably influenced them in some way, and I think many residents have gone to wilderness areas, knowingly or unknowingly. This is the legacy the Muries’ have left us.”

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.