Elizabeth S. Hartwell

Elizabeth van Laer Speer Hartwell (December 1, 1924 – December 14, 2000) was an American conservationist based in Virginia. The Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is named in her memory.

Elizabeth S. Hartwell
Born
Elizabeth van Laer Speer

December 1, 1924
Danville, Virginia, USA
DiedDecember 14, 2000
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
OccupationConservationist
Known forElizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Early life

Elizabeth van Laer Speer was born in Danville, Virginia,[1] the daughter of John Emory Speer and Elizabeth H. van Laer Speer.[2] She attended Mary Washington College.[3]

Career
A boardwark in Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

Speer worked as a typist in Washington, D.C. during World War II. Beginning in 1965, while living in Mason Neck, Hartwell campaigned against several large-scale development and other intrusive land use plans,[4] working to preserve the natural environment of the peninsula, to protect bird habitats and ultimately to establish the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Mason Neck State Park, and Pohick Bay Regional Park. She attended zoning board meetings, gave speeches, conducted boat tours, organized phone and mail campaigns, and made a film to promote her cause. She served on the Northern Virginia Potomac River Basin Commission, the Fairfax County Wetlands Board and the Virginia Board of Agriculture,[1] and held leadership positions with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Friends of Mason Neck, the Conservation Council of Virginia,[5] and the Citizens Council for a Clean Potomac.[3]

Hartwell was named Fairfax County Citizen of the Year by the Washington Star in 1971.[1] In 1976, she was named Wildlife Conservationist of the Year by the Virginia Wildlife Federation.[6] She wrote History and Occoquan Regional Park (1987).[7]

Personal life

Elizabeth Speer married engineer and businessman Stephen Hartwell in 1946, and lived in Mason Neck, Virginia. They had two sons, Stephen and Robert, before they divorced in 1973. She died in 2000, aged 76 years, in Alexandria, Virginia.[3][8] Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge was renamed for Hartwell by an act of Congress in 2006.[9] The Potomac Foundation has an Elizabeth S. Hartwell Environmental Education Fund.[10]

References
  1. "Three Named to Board of Agriculture". The Danville Register. 1971-04-03. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Mrs. J. Emory Speer". The Times Dispatch. 1935-06-07. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Barnes, Bart (2000-12-16). "Environmental Leader Elizabeth Hartwell Dies". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  4. "Army Vetoes Airport Proposal". Winchester Evening Star. October 18, 1973. p. 14. Retrieved January 27, 2021 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  5. "Conservation Group Elects New Officers". The News Leader. 1972-05-25. p. 22. Retrieved 2021-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Gooch, Bob (1976-10-21). "Virginia Afield". The News Leader. p. 17. Retrieved 2021-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Hartwell, Elizabeth S. (1987). History and Occoquan Regional Park. Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
  8. Senate Joint Resolution No. 476, On the Death of Elizabeth S. Hartwell (offered January 30, 2001).
  9. "Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  10. "Links". Hallowing Point Association. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
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