WHO WE ARE

Established in 1998, the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation is based on the principles of visionary environmental advocate, Arthur R. Marshall, Jr. (1919-1985). For more than a decade, the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation has championed the restoration and preservation of the greater Everglades ecosystem through science-based outreach programs and hands-on activities to return original plant life and water flow patterns to the historic “River of Grass.”

The Foundation’s efforts to develop future stewards of the environment, encourage appreciation for Florida’s natural resources, and ensure safe drinking water for generations to come have only been possible thanks to the personal dedication and support of the community. During the past decade, Marshall Foundation volunteers have planted almost 100,000 native Florida trees in wetlands areas and helped harvest close to 3,000 pounds of cypress seeds.

More than $350,000 in scholarships and internships has been awarded to students pursuing careers in environmental sciences, and, in 2008 alone, more than 7,500 school-aged children participated in Marshall Foundation education programs such as Ambassadors of the Everglades, Everglades2U, and Wetlands: Weird, Wild and Wonderful.

In addition, the Marshall Foundation has been closely involved in ongoing efforts to restore more than 73,000 acres and reconnect Lake Okeechobee water flows to the Everglades.

Sadly, Art Marshall passed away in 1985 but his nephew, John Arthur Marshall, took over where he left off. John created the Foundation in 1998 and currently serves as its Chairman of the Board.

John is a native Floridian who holds a degree in geology from the University of Florida . He served as an officer in the U.S. Marines for 32 years and was in the first graduating class from the prestigious “Top Gun” flight school. With integrity and determination, he works daily to realize the environmental visions of his uncle, along with his wife, Nancy, co-founder and current President.

THE MARSHALL PLAN

Arthur R. Marshall wrote what is referred to as “the Marshall Plan,” a blueprint for Everglades restoration that is viable today. In the plan, he emphasized the ecosystem’s need for 'sheet flow', the slow movement of surface water in a southerly direction with a minimum of channeling. Click here to read more of Arthur R. Marshall's writing.

Under this system, more water would be retained and shared over a large wetlands area to the south. It is this ideal that the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation strives toward in its restoration efforts.

WHY THE EVERGLADES?

One hundred years ago, the population of South Florida was a tiny fraction if its current size and the Everglades dominated the central part of the state, creating an enormous, slow-flowing “river of grass” that crept from the Lake Okeechobee to the estuaries of Biscayne Bay.

Today, that internationally significant natural system has been cut in half, producing unforeseen social and economic burdens for South Florida ’s natural, agricultural and suburban communities. Now, it is critical that we, as a community of concerned citizens, focus our attention on what we can do to improve our environment. Reforestation of cypress trees will play an important part in water quality filtration by absorbing huge amounts of environmental pollutants, including phosphorous and mercury, while simultaneously sequestering carbon. Wetland forests thus act as a natural antidote to pollution, and also help slow global warming.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas, nationally recognized as the First Lady of conservation and constant advocate for the Everglades, planted the original seeds of this organization in 1982, with the first donation to Art Marshall to start the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation and Florida Environmental Institute.

Marjory met Art when he returned to Florida after serving as an officer in the U.S. Army during World War II. They became allies working together on Everglades Restoration. In her autobiography Douglas states "Although my phrase 'River of Grass' first awakened people to the notion of the Everglades as a river, it was Art Marshall who filled in all the blanks."