Sharron Stewart of Lake Jackson, Texas, died on July 17th. Sharron was a friend of the Sierra Club and the environment and a protector of our coast for over 50 years.
During times in the past in Texas, when women weren’t supposed to be involved in decisions on environmental issues (the old boys’ network) and were supposed to stay at home, Sharron Stewart blazed a trail that put protection of our Texas Coast number one on the front page and the front burner of our consciousness.
When early Texas environmentalists needed an organization to rally around, Sharron was a strong proponent of the Texas Environmental Coalition.
When oyster reefs were dredged from Galveston and other bays, Sharron was there to question the need and expose the environmental destruction.
When Dow Chemical needed to be rebuked because it didn’t live up to its’ civic and environmental responsibilities, Sharron was there to point out to Dow the “error of its’ ways”.
When Galveston Bay needed a friend to establish a national estuary, Sharron was there to support and push the U.S. EPA to do the right thing.
When State Senator Buster Brown, Governor George W. Bush, and others wanted to end the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service effort to protect Columbia Bottomlands, Sharron spoke out even though ostracized in Lake Jackson for doing so.
When Columbia Bottomlands were threatened by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sharron stood fast when others wanted to end a lawsuit to require further environmental protection for forested wetlands.
When environmentalists needed good advice and steady guidance, Sharron was there to support their efforts to clean-up our air, water, and land.
Sharron was a role model about the importance of a “sense of place” when fighting to protect and keep the environment in local and state communities safe.
Sharron was feisty, blunt, but always courteous. She will be missed greatly, and her legacy exists in places like Hudson Woods, Galveston Bay, and Lake Jackson.
Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management (CC BY 2.0)