Elizabeth Terwilliger (September 13, 1909 – November 27, 2006) was an American environmental activist and educator based in

Marin County, California Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...

Early life and education

Terwilliger, born Elizabeth Cooper, was born to Dr. Henry Bryant Cooper and Florence Carson Cooper in

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, where Dr. Cooper worked as a physician on a sugar plantation. Hiking around the island with her mother inspired Terwilliger's love of nature. After earning at bachelor's degree at the

University of Hawaiʻi The University of Hawaiʻi System, formally the University of Hawaiʻi and popularly known as UH, is a public college and university system that confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven com ...

, Terwilliger attended graduate school at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where she earned a master's degree in nutrition. She then studied nursing at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, where she met her husband, Calvin Terwilliger, who was a surgeon.

Activism and volunteer work

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Elizabeth and Calvin Terwilliger moved to Marin County, where Elizabeth advocated for more playgrounds. She founded Pixie Park Playground at the

Marin Art and Garden Center The Marin Art and Garden Center is a botanical garden in Ross, California. The site is 11 acres and features gardens and historic buildings, including the Barn Theater, which is home to theater company Ross Valley Players. Admission to the garden ...

. In the 1950s, there was a plan to fill

Richardson Bay Richardson Bay (originally Richardson's Bay) is a shallow, ecologically rich arm of San Francisco Bay, managed under a Joint Powers Agency of four northern California cities. The Richardson Bay Sanctuary was acquired in the early 1960s by the N ...

to create a town called Reeds Port. Terwilliger, working with the Marin Audubon Society and

Caroline Sealy Livermore Caroline Sealy Livermore (7 August 1883 – 2 February 1968) was an American conservationist with emphasis in environment planning and protection. Livermore was mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area in both Marin County and the shore areas, du ...

, contacted L. Martin Griffin to enlist him in the ultimately successful effort to stop the development. Terwilliger began leading her children's Girl Scouts and

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

troops, teaching the scouts about nature. This led to Terwilliger, known to children as "Mrs. T," leading nature walks for local schools and organizations, which she would continue into her 80s. The Terwilliger Nature Guides was founded in 1970. In 1975, the Elizabeth Terwilliger Nature Education Foundation (later called WildCare) was formed to provide nature education to Bay Area schools. Terwilliger developed its educational programs. In 1984, she was given the Outstanding Volunteer Award by

President Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. Terwilliger also advocated for

monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. It ...

conservation,

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

conservation, and bicycle paths.

Legacy

The Terwilliger Nature Center in San Rafael (now WildCare), Terwilliger Grove in

Muir Woods "Muir" is the Scots word for " moorland", and Scots Gaelic for "sea", and is the etymological origin of the surname and Clan Muir/Mure/Moore in Scotland and other parts of the world. Places United States * Muir, Willits, California, a former un ...

, and Terwilliger Marsh in Mill Valley are all named for her. The Terwilliger Environmental Award honors environmental educators in the Bay Area.

References

External links

Terwilliger's oral history at the Mill Valley Public Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terwilliger, Elizabeth 1909 births 2006 deaths Activists from California Conservationists History of Marin County, California People from Oahu American conservationists University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Marin County, California