Environmental Defense Fund Archive
Collection 232

Sub-Group and Series Descriptions

Record Group 1: Manuscript Collections

SG I Dennis Puleston Papers
SG II Arthur Cooley Papers
SG III Robert Smolker Papers
SG IV Charles F. Wurster Papers

SG I Dennis Puleston Papers

Biographical note:
Dennis Puleston was born in Leigh-on-Sea, a fishing village in southeast
England. Growing up near the waterfront imbued Dennis with a passion for sailing
and nature. After studying biology and naval architecture at London University,
he and a fellow shipmate set sail around the world. The voyage spanned 6 years
and recounted in his memoir, Blue Water Vagabond, published in 1939.
By 1941, Puleston settled with his wife and family in Brookhaven Long Island. He
spent the war years aiding the design of the DUKW, an amphibious craft used by
the U.S. Army and Marines for transporting supplies. He also took the
responsibility of training of the troops in its operation. In 1948, President
Truman awarded Dennis the Medal of Freedom for his contributions to the war
effort. During this time he was employed by Brookhaven National Laboratory and
continued to observe and record wildlife.

Puleston began observing the habits of the ospreys at Gardiner’s Island in 1948.
His observations of the decline of the osprey population would be one of the
threads that led to the ultimate creation of Environmental Defense Fund.
In 1966, Puleston and a number of scientists on the Brookhaven Town Natural
Resources Committee testified in a class action suit initiated by Victor
Yannacone, Jr. to ban the use of DDT in Suffolk County, NY. Dennis provided
evidence by drawing food chain charts to illustrate how DDT affected the
environment. Although the case was dismissed, DDT was banned in Suffolk County
in 1967, New York in 1970 and nationwide in 1972. Because of the unique approach
to environmental issues, several of key players in the DDT litigation decided to
incorporate as The Environmental Defense Fund in 1967. Mr. Puleston was
appointed the first Chairman of the Board.

After his retirement from Brookhaven National Laboratory, Puleston remained
active in conservation projects and was a member of several committees, was an
Honorary Trustee of Environmental Defense Fund, and continued his interest in
studying the natural environment.

Published works include: Blue Water Vagabond: Six Years Adventure at Sea;
published by Doubleday in 1939; A Nature Journal: A Naturalist’s Year on Long
Island, illustrated by the author, and published by Norton in 1992.

Sources:
Puleston, Dennis. Blue Water Vagabond (New York: Doubleday, 1939)
Rogers, Marion Lane. Acorn Days (New York: Environmental Defense Fund, 1990)
23-29.

Environmental Defense newsletter. “Dennis Puleston: 1905-2001 He Left the World
a Better Place” September 2001, p.3.

Lewis, Paul. “Dennis Puleston, 95, Environmental Leader.” New York Times, June
16, 2001, Section B, p. 9, Col. 4.

Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Dennis Puleston span the years 1967-1999 (bulk 1970’s). The
collection is composed of correspondence, memos, meeting minutes, articles, and
clippings. The papers are professional in nature and cover EDF’s Executive
Committee and Board of Trustees meetings and discussions, some of which document
EDF’s evolution and policy making. Puleston’s interests outside of the realm of
EDF are included, such as the marine environment of Long Island, ospreys, and
the conservation efforts to save Long Island’s natural resources.

The papers are arranged into three series: EDF Documents; Long Island Water
Management; and General subject files.

Series Descriptions:

Series I. EDF Documents: 1966-1999 [3.5 linear ft]
Arrangement: Sub-divided into correspondence & memoranda; Meeting minutes and
Subject Files.

The EDF Document series consists of correspondence and memoranda, minutes and
agenda of the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees, the EDF Letter,
case files and subject files. The material spans the organization’s inception in
1966-67 to the late 1990s. Correspondence, memos and minutes are the most common
formats found in the collection.

Correspondence and memos kept in the original date order. Most items are copies
of correspondence in which Puleston was sent for informational purposes. Topics
include: memos regarding EDF and its structure, finances and personnel;
discussion about nuclear power plants (April 1972); ED and proposed programming
(1972) and wildlife (1973).

Subject files are composed of correspondence, clippings, and other material. The
arrangement is alphabetical.

Board of Trustees memos range in topic from EDF structural and personnel
policies, EDF’s niche in the environmental movement, (1/4/68) publicity
strategies, and fundraising.

Executive Committee memos concern EDF’s programs, personnel, organizational
structure, and case approval requests.

Series II: Long Island Water Resources: 1972-1977 [2 linear ft]
Arrangement: Sub-divided into Nassau Suffolk Regional Planning Board; Regional
Marine Resources Council and Brookhaven Town Natural Resources

Series II is composed of minutes and correspondence of committees designated to
conserve and protect the marine environment of Long Island. Represented in the
collection are: The Nassau Suffolk Regional Planning Board, the Regional Marine
Resource Council, Brookhaven Town Natural Resources Committee, and the
Brookhaven Town Project Advisory Committee.

SG II Arthur Cooley Papers

Biographical note:
Art Cooley is a former Bellport High School biology teacher, co-founder of EDF,
and an environmentalist.

In the mid-1960s, he was Chairman of the Brookhaven Town Natural Resources
Committee (BTNRC), an environmental organization dedicated to preserving the
resources of the local area. Among the members were members of Brookhaven
National Lab and students at Bellport High School.

In 1966, Victor Yannacone Jr., a lawyer developing a class action suit, called
upon the scientific expertise of the BTNRC. The suit was against the Suffolk
County Mosquito Control Commission, and the issue was the application of DDT.
The case sparked a series of events leading to a ban on the pesticide. Because
of a demand for the legal and scientific approach to environmental problems, EDF
was formed in 1967. Arthur Cooley succeeded Dennis Puleston as Chairman of the
Board of Trustees in 1972, serving until 1975.

Today Mr. Cooley is Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Environmental Defense,
an expedition leader and a fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science.

Scope and Content Note:
The papers span 1966-77 and form a snapshot of Mr. Cooley’s professional
activities. The collection is comprised of research files, correspondence,
financial documents, newsletters, clippings and memos. It is kept in its
original order with staples removed and documents rehoused in acid free folders
and cases. There are 3 series: EDF Correspondence & Memoranda, EDF Documents,
and Brookhaven Town.

Series Descriptions:

Series I: EDF Correspondence & Memoranda: 1971-77 [1 linear ft.]
Arrangment: Chronological; The files are grouped according to their origin.
This series consists of memoranda discussing potential litigation, program
development and issues for the Executive Committees and Board of Trustees.

Series II : EDF Documents [1.25 linear ft.]
Arrangment: Alphabetical by subject.
Includes copy of amendment to incorporation, clippings, office bulletins and
subject files.

Series III: Brookhaven Town [0.50 linear ft.]
Arrangement: Alphabetical subject files of local environmental interest.
This series is of an overview of environmental challenges to Brookhaven Town.
Topics includes dredging concerns, wildlife, and water pollution.

SG III Robert Smolker Papers

Biographical Note:
Robert E. Smolker was a professor at Stony Brook University, an ornithologist,
an environmentalist involved in local government, and one of the founders of
Environmental Defense Fund.

Described by Marion Lane Rogers in Acorn Days as “the guiding light of EDF” who
“carried off his professional duties with deceptive grace” (170), Smolker was an
early member of the Board of Trustees, serving as its secretary, and a chairman
of several committees. In addition to his involvement in EDF activities, he was
also active in environmental affairs of Brookhaven Town.His appointments
included chairmanship of the Board of Waterways and Natural Resources, and
memberships in several conservation councils such as the Regional Marine
Resources Council.

Robert Smolker was also an early supporter of the creation of the Environmental
Defense Archive in the Special Collections Department at Stony Brook.

Scope and Content Note:
The Robert Smolker collection consists of memos, newsletters, correspondence,
and monographs related to Environmental Defense Fund and the environmental
issues of Brookhaven Town.

Series Descriptions:

Series I. EDF documents: 1967-1985 [2 linear ft]
Arrangement: Sub-divided into correspondence, minutes, and communications.

This series is a collection memoranda,correspondence, office bulletins, minutes
and publications reflecting the programs and committees of EDF. The series'
focus are the minutes and memos of the Board of Trustees of which Smolker was
secretary and later made an Honorary Trustee. The material is sub-divided:
correspondence, minutes, bulletins.

Series II. Environmental Defense Fund Topical Files: 1967-1985 [2.5 linear ft]
Arrangement: Alphabetical
This series is a record of the variety of cases and issues of interest to Robert
Smolker. The bulk of the material relates to hydroelectric dams in Connecticut,
Long Island water issues, and marine wildlife. The arrangement is alphabetical.

Series III. Long Island Environment: 1970-1984 [1.5 linear ft]
Sub-divided into subject files of Brookhaven; Long Island Regional Planning
Board; and Birding.

This series is a collection of Robert Smolker’s activities outside of the
Environmental Defense Fund. It provides evidence of Mr. Smolker’s activities as
a local environmentalist. Included are: minutes of conservation councils,
dredging proposals, open space reports and local policy drafts. The material is
sub-divided: Brookhaven Town, Long Island Regional Planning Board, and birding
files.

SG IV Charles F. Wurster Papers

Biographical Note:

Charles F. Wurster earned a doctorate in chemistry from Stanford University in 1957 but has been an ardent environmentalist and ornithologist for most of his life. The study of birds has taken him to all continents, where he has identified one third of the world's 10,000 avian species.

In the 1960s these interests and expertise led to a concern about the environmental effects of DDT, Aldrin, and Dieldrin. He and colleagues challenged their use through the courts and by the Federal Government, and by 1974 all three of these destructive pesticides were banned in the USA. This success became the cornerstone of environmental law as we know it today.

In 1967 he became one of the founders of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on which EDS was modelled. EDF is now an international organization of scientists, attorneys, and economists seeking creative and practical solutions to a wide variety of environmental problems. Charlie remains an active member of the Board of Trustees.

For 30 years he was a professor of environmental sciences at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Several years ago he became emeritus to pursue eco-tourism and environmental protection projects. He has a long-standing interest in energy policy, and has lectured around the world and written scientific papers on a wide variety of subjects. He recently authored a book: DDT Wars: Rescuing Our National Bird, Preventing Cancer, and Creating the Environmental Defense Fund (Oxford University Press, 2015). The book describes the struggle that led to the ban on DDT in 1972 and the many benefits that followed the ban in later decades.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Charles F. Wurster consist of correspondence, reprints, manuscripts, publications, clippings, and videos dating from 1963 to 2005. The collection focuses on two areas: legal action against DDT, Aldrin Dieldrin, and other insecticides and the activities of Environmental Defense. Wurster’s writings and correspondence as well as subject files complete the collection.  The writing series contains research articles, editorials, statements and testimony. Frequent topics include:  the effects of pesticides on the terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The papers are housed in 73 boxes arranged into 12 series.