The active members of the Junior League of Miami in 1970 learned some valuable lessons about their perceived role in the Miami community and they turned the tide quite literally, with the Miami River Restoration Project.

Sustainer Janice Pryor, who then chaired the Community Arts Committee said, "We initiated the concept of cleaning up the Miami River and when we presented it to various community and civic leaders their attitude toward us was very cavalier. . . they thought of it as a pipe dream."

This however, just increased the League's determination to make this project a reality. That summer they went beyond "rolling up their sleeves" --they literally surveyed the river in two-woman teams, climbing embankments and working around the debris, as well as some street people who frequented the area.

Once they had assembled the research which consisted of information on property owners, zoning requirements, conditions of the river, ordinances governing the river and if applicable, present use and condition of bulkheading, they had the foundation for the project. Two League members actually attended a course in pollution control at Miami Dade Junior College, South Campus.

Thus, before environmentalism was a widely embraced "cause" the JLM vigorously pursued efforts to reclaim the Miami River from the jaws of its polluters. They finally got the public's attention through the efforts of newly elected Secretary of State Richard Stone, who attended a League meeting in November 1970. In a letter to Janice Pryor dated Jan. 14, 1971, The Honorable Richard Stone wrote, "Our mutual purpose is to concentrate and coordinate all of our efforts so that we can evolve responsible joint plans with mutually agreed upon deadlines for accomplishments to the end that within a measurable span of time the Miami River will become useable, beautiful and a credit to the people of Florida and our country."

Of course, it had not always been like that. For centuries the Miami River, although only a little more than four miles long, had been an important waterway between the bay and the interior. The River called Mayaimi, meaning "Sweetwater" to the Indians, once ran crystal clear and Indians in dugouts watched "sea cows" frolic on the bottom, not to mention schools of mangrove snappers. The problems began soon after Miami became a city in 1896. The fast-growing community dumped its sewage into the river, creating a sewer out of what had once been a clear stream teeming with fish.

With the boom of the 1920s and then the work of the Army Corps of Engineers dredging the Everlades via the river as part of their combination navigation and flood control project, conditions on the river had worsened to a deplorable state by 1970.

The Idea Catches On
Senator Stone's involvement resulted in a great deal of publicity about the river clean-up. The goal of the League to alert, educate and encourage the community to achieve desired ecological goals was well underway. Several members appeared on local television stations discussing the project. The second phase of the project was to ensure that now that the ball was rolling, no governmental agencies dropped it.

The headline in an article inThe Miami Herald in March 1971 said, "Women Plan to Be Meanies Until Miami River Is Cleaned Up." The article talked about the lack of successful clean-up efforts during the previous 10 years. It went on to state that "Beginning next week, a handful of women from the Junior League of Miami will begin watching the progress of the current clean-up campaign and start dogging public agencies to see that promises of improvement are fulfilled."

"If we pester enough -- say, every week or 10 days making a call to the same person to ask them what's been happening -- they'll realize the community is interested," explained Mrs. Cynthia Whitney, chair of the River Restoration Committee.

She went on to add, "They won't be able to give us excuses; we will be able to call their bluff. And the Coast Guard has been very cooperative, but sometimes they need prodding too." Mary Harriman, founder of the Junior League in 1901, would have been very proud.

In fact, the JLM received an award from Florida East Coast Properties, Inc. for "its initiative and perseverance in spearheading the revitalization of the Downtown Waterfront" in November 1972.

The Miami River project turned out to be the first of many environmental projects supported by the JLM over the years.

Protecting Biscayne Bay and Its Treasures
In Spring 1991 "Living With Nature" was implemented in cooperation with the Biscayne Nature Center. Almost a decade earlier, environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas requested that a task force be formed to study the possibility of placing a nature center at the site on the north end of Key Biscayne, one of the last remaining coastal hammock environments in Dade County. In 1985 the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center was official.

Junior League "Living With Nature" Committee Members under the chairmanship of Jayne Harris Abess served as guides at the Biscayne Nature Center where they educated people about our fragile eco-systems.

As a result of her placement, committee member and subsequent Chair Theodora Long permanently joined the Biscayne Nature Center as executive director, where she continues to work today.

In addition to guiding the educational excursions, the JLM created a children's coloring book about the living coral reef, which was translated into Spanish and Creole. The League also produced T-Shirts and a volunteer training manual. This project went on to win "The Take Pride in Florida" Award from the Department of Natural Resources.

 

Water Conservation
In response to water shortages in South Florida, the JLM teamed up with the Tropical Audubon Society during the 1991 -92 League year, to promote the concept of xeriscaping. Xeriscaping balances beautiful landscaping with water preservation. Up to 50 percent of water consumption is attributable to landscaping. Xeriscaping would conserve 80 percent of that amount.

Under the chairmanship of Cecilia Jude Prahl, the Xeriscape Committee teamed up with the Tropical Audubon Society after they received a grant from Southern Bell for the xeriscape site. The site is located in the garden area east of the historic Doc Thomas House in South Miami, home of the Tropical Audubon Society. Volunteers from the JLM conducted free tours of the site and produced a self-guided tour brochure.

Cecila Prahl described the work of her committee:

"We would begin our tours with a visit to the Doc Thomas house, followed by a brief video about the seven principles of xeriscaping. Then we'd give visitors a plant-by-plant tour of the site, which contained 61 different varieties. We explained how tall the plants would grow, light requirements, etc., and then we would answer specific questions."

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