A Tribute to Mary Burks

MARY BURKS (1921-2007)

A TRIBUTE TO THE FOUNDER OF 
THE ALABAMA ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL

(photo by Debra Burks Hori)

“Little did she know, as a child running into the house with a caterpillar or snail on her arm and exclaiming, 'Mother aren't they beautiful?' that she was caught in Mother Nature's net. But Mary's destiny was set. She and future husband Robert E. Burks Jr. were to become the founders of The Alabama Environmental Council, later the Alabama Environmental Council.” (Excerpt from Protecting Alabama: A History of the Environmental Council.)

The mother of the environmental movement in Alabama recently passed away. We join thousands of citizens statewide in celebrating the powerful life of Mary Burks. Mary inspired countless numbers of people to action for Alabama. Sen. Floyd Haskell of Colorado once said, “If it weren't for The Alabama Conservancy, there would be no concept of eastern wilderness.” The battle for the 12,726 acres of Sipsey Wilderness in the Bankhead National Forest lasted five years before it became a reality in 1975. Mary never backed down. She lost some but won more and leaves a powerful legacy for future generations of natural health and heritage.

When Mary founded AEC in 1967 there was no one to monitor water supplies, air quality or hazardous waste dumping. Recycling was limited to professional scrap dealers. On the federal level, there was no National Environmental Policy Act, no Environmental Protection Agency, no effective clean air, water or strip mining regulations and no endangered species protection. Earth Day hadn't yet been created. Birmingham's particulate matter air pollution was second in the nation and fish kills were a common occurrence.

Though we still have our work cut out for us, we've come a long way since then. Many people Mary mentored have become leaders in the environmental movement in the state. Inspired by Mary's efforts and leadership, Kathy Freeland went on to found, among other accomplishments, Ruffner Mountain Nature Center. Ruffner is the nation's largest urban park -surpassing even legendary Central Park.

More than 100 environmental organizations were inspired by AEC. I know that Mary wanted us to keep up the fight, to stay inspired and never back down because she told me that when I was still a student in the Tuscaloosa Chapter of AEC. It is my fervent hope that leaders in today's environmental movement will honor Mary by strengthening our efforts to continue the mighty battle she started 40 years ago for Alabama.

The Burks family has requested that gifts be made to the organization she founded — the Alabama Environmental Council.  

- Tribute by Jenny Dorgan, 
  former Development Director