Joe Browder
Encyclopedia
Joe Browder is an environmental activist who spearheaded ongoing efforts to save the Florida Everglades. He is considered to be a global environmental expert. He is an advisor on energy, climate change, environmental policy to public-interest groups, foundations, auto and energy companies, other businesses, Native American tribes and government agencies. He started out his career as a television news reporter, an active volunteer and later a paid representative for Audubon (the National Audubon Society
).
. Browder worked for NBC
(Miami, Florida) as a television news report and producer. He is married to Louise Dunlap. He has been active in saving the Everglades
since 1961. He is recognized as being responsible in founding the Biscayne National Park
(1968) and the Big Cypress National Preserve
(1974), both in Florida. The Bob Graham Center for Public Service
, (Florida Senator), states that Browder “emerged from the grassroots in the early 1960s to help save South Florida’s most precious natural wonders from unrestrained forces of growth.” Because of Browder's work in spearheading the creation of the Big Cypress National Preserve, The National Park Service
eventually named Browder "Citizen Father of the Big Cypress Preserve".
, but dropped out to get married. Browder had convinced journalist, feminist and environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas
who had written the influential book The Everglades: River of Grass
in 1947, to start an environmental organization to save the Everglades
. That organization became known as Friends of the Everglades, which was created to protest the creation of the Miami International Airport in the Big Cypress portion of the Everglades that Browder was so opposed to. The book, An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century (Environmental History and the American South), quotes Marjory Douglas as one who admired the stamina of the activists, especially Joe Browder, the good soldier of nature who stood on the front lines of each successive battle. Browder himself was inspired by Douglas' book River of Grass
for its sobering history, "literary power" and "ethical voice". J. Brooks Flippen, in the book, Conservative Conservationist: Russell E. Train And the Emergence of American Environmentalism, refers to the 1968 Joe Browder as a "young, long-haired environmentalist...typical of the new generation of activists," and states that "most of the established conservation groups hardly welcomed him."
Previously, the chapter of the Audubon Society in Miami, with which Browder was affiliated, had become embroiled in a battle with a developer named Ludwig, who attempted to put an oil refinery in Lower Biscayne Bay. Browder is described by Douglas as the "hardest working" activist in the crusade against Ludwig's refinery. This small victory by conservationists soon led to the more difficult battle previously described and more widely noted, against the International Airport.
Browder secured a federal mandate to prevent water from being diverted from the then-dying Everglades National Park
. Browder conferred with the Nixon administration, and finally with President Nixon himself, in a successful effort to save the Everglades
from encroachment through development of an already commenced project to build a new Miami International Airport, in what is now part of the National Park system in the Everglades
. Life magazine, July 4, 1970, states that Browder, along with Miami attorney Daniel Paul, led the battle against the 39 square mile airport, which it refers to as a "great victory" for the conservation effort. As a result of meeting with Browder, Nixon sent his daughter, Julie Nixon to Miami and the Everglades and to personally report back to him on the situation. Nixon concurred that the loss of this portion of the Everglades
would be a "loss for the nation" and supported Browder and Marjory Douglas.
Joe Browder was appointed by President Jimmy Carter
to coordinate environmental planning for the Carter Mondale Campaign. He was appointed advisor by Secretary of the Interior during the Carter administration on energy, natural resources and environment and had a major role in Carter administration environmental policies.
Browder is referred to in the book The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise By Michael Grunwald, as Audubon's "abrasive but effective southeastern representative" who possessed "ferocious intensity". He was known for criticizing fellow environmentalists, which made him something of a pariah among them. He "blasted" presidential candidate, then Vice-President Al Gore
over for dragging his feet on the Everglades airport issue. Gore ended up losing the election for presidency over a handful of votes in that state.
In 1997, Browder was appointed professor at The Johns Hopkins University
Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, teaching Markets, Competition and the Environment (graduate course).
.
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
).
Biography
Browder’s place of birth is Amarillo, TexasAmarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. Browder worked for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(Miami, Florida) as a television news report and producer. He is married to Louise Dunlap. He has been active in saving the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
since 1961. He is recognized as being responsible in founding the Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southern Florida, due east of Homestead. The park preserves Biscayne Bay, one of the top scuba diving areas in the United States. Ninety-five percent of the park is water. In addition, the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive...
(1968) and the Big Cypress National Preserve
Big Cypress National Preserve
Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in southern Florida, about 45 miles west of Miami. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, became the first national preserves in the United States National Park System when they were...
(1974), both in Florida. The Bob Graham Center for Public Service
Bob Graham Center for Public Service
The Bob Graham Center for Public Service, housed at the University of Florida in Gainesville, is a community of students, scholars and citizens who share a commitment to training the next generation of public and private sector leaders for Florida, the United States and the international community....
, (Florida Senator), states that Browder “emerged from the grassroots in the early 1960s to help save South Florida’s most precious natural wonders from unrestrained forces of growth.” Because of Browder's work in spearheading the creation of the Big Cypress National Preserve, The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
eventually named Browder "Citizen Father of the Big Cypress Preserve".
Organizations, Affiliations
- National Audubon SocietyNational Audubon SocietyThe National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
(Officer) – Miami, Florida chapter, Southeaster US Representative (1968 – 1970) - Coordinator of the Everglades Coalition (founder)
- Managing Global Issues project – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Conservation Director of Friends of the Earth
- League of Conservation VotersLeague of Conservation VotersThe League of Conservation Voters is a political advocacy organization founded in 1969 by American environmentalist David Brower in the early years of the environmental movement. LCV's mission is to "advocate for sound environmental policies and to elect pro-environmental candidates who will adopt...
(Treasurer) - Advisory Council of the InterAmerican Water Resources Network
- Mato Gross [Brazil] do Sul Environment Secretary Emiko Kawakmi de Resende (Co-Chairman).
- Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management – Natural Resources section (Miami, 1993)
- Everglades Coalition (National Chair, 1994, 1995)
- Third Inter-American Dialogue on Water Resources (Host Committee member, Panama, 1999)
- World Water Council’s Water Vision for the Western Hemisphere program – Water and Indigenous Peoples section. (Panama, 1999).
- René Dubos Center for Human Environments (Board Member).
- Boards of Friends of the evergladesFriends of the EvergladesFriends of the Everglades is a conservationist and activist organization in the United States whose mission is to "preserve, protect, and restore the only Everglades in the world." The book Biosphere 2000: Protecting Our Global Environment refers to Friends of the Everglades as an organization that...
- Friends of the Big Cypress National Preserve
- Dunlap & Browder – Environmental Consulting Firm
Further Biography and Environmental Activism
As a young man, Browder had received a scholarship in ornithology from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, but dropped out to get married. Browder had convinced journalist, feminist and environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Marjory Stoneman Douglas was an American journalist, writer, feminist, and environmentalist known for her staunch defense of the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development...
who had written the influential book The Everglades: River of Grass
The Everglades: River of Grass
The Everglades: River of Grass is a non-fiction book written by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1947. Published the same year as the formal opening of Everglades National Park, the book was a call to attention about the degrading quality of life in the Everglades and continues to remain an influential...
in 1947, to start an environmental organization to save the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
. That organization became known as Friends of the Everglades, which was created to protest the creation of the Miami International Airport in the Big Cypress portion of the Everglades that Browder was so opposed to. The book, An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century (Environmental History and the American South), quotes Marjory Douglas as one who admired the stamina of the activists, especially Joe Browder, the good soldier of nature who stood on the front lines of each successive battle. Browder himself was inspired by Douglas' book River of Grass
River of Grass
River of Grass is the debut film of American director Kelly Reichardt, who also wrote the screenplay. It was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, and was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 1994, and for three Independent Spirit Awards in...
for its sobering history, "literary power" and "ethical voice". J. Brooks Flippen, in the book, Conservative Conservationist: Russell E. Train And the Emergence of American Environmentalism, refers to the 1968 Joe Browder as a "young, long-haired environmentalist...typical of the new generation of activists," and states that "most of the established conservation groups hardly welcomed him."
Previously, the chapter of the Audubon Society in Miami, with which Browder was affiliated, had become embroiled in a battle with a developer named Ludwig, who attempted to put an oil refinery in Lower Biscayne Bay. Browder is described by Douglas as the "hardest working" activist in the crusade against Ludwig's refinery. This small victory by conservationists soon led to the more difficult battle previously described and more widely noted, against the International Airport.
Browder secured a federal mandate to prevent water from being diverted from the then-dying Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is a national park in the U.S. state of Florida that protects the southern 25 percent of the original Everglades. It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, and is visited on average by one million people each year. It is the third-largest...
. Browder conferred with the Nixon administration, and finally with President Nixon himself, in a successful effort to save the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
from encroachment through development of an already commenced project to build a new Miami International Airport, in what is now part of the National Park system in the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
. Life magazine, July 4, 1970, states that Browder, along with Miami attorney Daniel Paul, led the battle against the 39 square mile airport, which it refers to as a "great victory" for the conservation effort. As a result of meeting with Browder, Nixon sent his daughter, Julie Nixon to Miami and the Everglades and to personally report back to him on the situation. Nixon concurred that the loss of this portion of the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
would be a "loss for the nation" and supported Browder and Marjory Douglas.
Joe Browder was appointed by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
to coordinate environmental planning for the Carter Mondale Campaign. He was appointed advisor by Secretary of the Interior during the Carter administration on energy, natural resources and environment and had a major role in Carter administration environmental policies.
Browder is referred to in the book The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise By Michael Grunwald, as Audubon's "abrasive but effective southeastern representative" who possessed "ferocious intensity". He was known for criticizing fellow environmentalists, which made him something of a pariah among them. He "blasted" presidential candidate, then Vice-President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
over for dragging his feet on the Everglades airport issue. Gore ended up losing the election for presidency over a handful of votes in that state.
In 1997, Browder was appointed professor at The Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, teaching Markets, Competition and the Environment (graduate course).
Present Activities
Browder continues to be active in efforts to preserve the Florida Everglades. He is a principal in Dunlap & Browder, Inc. an environmental consulting firm in Washington, DC. He currently resides in Fairhaven, Carroll County, MarylandFairhaven, Carroll County, Maryland
Fairhaven is an unincorporated retirement community in Carroll County, Maryland, United States.-References:...
.