Rachel Carson Sculpture and Wildlife Garden

Outside the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences along Jones Street stands the Rachel Carson Sculpture and Wildlife Garden Celebrating a Sense of Wonder.

Rachel Carson was a writer, marine biologist, and conservationist.

She (1907-1964) grew up on a farm near Springdale, Pennsylvania. She loved the outdoors and started writing and publishing stories when she was 10. At college, Carson initially majored in English but soon discovered the field of Biology and switched. She continued studying zoology and genetics at Johns Hopkins in 1929. Five years later, Carson had to leave her Ph.D. studies to work and support her family. In 1935 she started working for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, writing educational literature about marine life. In 1941, Carson incorporated her writings into the book titled Under the Sea Wind. She got promoted within the Bureau, overseeing a small writing staff by 1945, and in 1949 became chief editor of publications, allowing her the freedom to conduct fieldwork, research, and write.

In 1951, she published the book that made her famous, The Sea Around Us. Following the book’s success, she became a full-time writer.

After several years researching the impact of chemicals on the ecosystem, in 1962, she stood fearless against the chemical industry and its lobbyists publishing her research in the book Silent Spring. The book brought to the public attention the environmental damage attributed to synthetic pesticides, mainly DDT, and sparked the environmental movement, which led to reforms in the usage of synthetic pesticides.

After a long battle with breast cancer, Carson died at age 56.

The artist Douglas Alvord created the sculpture, and it was dedicated on May 9th, 2002.

The bronze sculpture depicts Carson with a boy and a girl inside a small pool surrounded by plants. On her right palm, she holds a turtle while speaking to the children.

A nearby plaque provides details about the statue and enlists all the people and organizations that had sponsored it.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is the largest nature and science museum in the Southeastern United States and the most visited museum in North Carolina. It offers many different exhibits and educational programs for all age groups.

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