Episode 7: Mrs. Terwilliger

Photo: Craig Buchanan, courtesy of the Elizabeth Terwilliger Nature Education Foundation

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"V is for vulture. Arms straight out for hawks!" Unforgettable Elizabeth Terwilliger (1909-2006) led generations of Marin County children out of doors into a world of natural wonder. Millions more followed her through film and streaming media. And she fought for the places and creatures she loved, changing the Bay for the better.

Outdoor classroom

Mrs. T taught with joy and through all five senses. Her classrooms were the marshes, shores, creeks, and woodland trails of Marin. How and when should you pick up a snake? What is is like to be a salmon or a red-tailed hawk? Who eats you after you die? In the most natural way possible, her charges learned the cycles of life around them.

Taking nature to children

Mrs. T and a Terwilliger Nature Van, taking creatures to school. (Photo: Gene Cohn, courtesy of Mill Valley Public Library)

As Mrs. T's popularity grew, her friend Joan Bekins realized that one extraordinary teacher could never reach every child who needed her.

Bekins recruited and trained Terwilliger Nature Guides, raised money and produced educational films, and helped launch the famous Nature Vans, filled with taxidermied birds and mammals that brought hands-on nature education directly into schools. At its peak, the program reached 60,000 Bay Area students each year. The films have since introduced more than 70 million children to Mrs. T's way of seeing the natural world.

You can see them, too, at Terwilliger Films:

• Oak Woodland

• Redwood Forest, Stream, Ocean Beach & Monarch Butterfly Trees

• Bay Tidelands

• Grassland, Chaparral & Fresh Water Pond

• Sights & Sounds of the Seasons

Stewardship

Elizabeth Terwilliger helped stop the filling of Richardson Bay, advocated for bike paths and open space, and inspired others to expand their leadership roles. Among them were Martin Griffin, who went on to become one of California's most influential conservationists, and Joan Bekins, whose work carried Mrs. T's ideas far beyond Marin County.

Mrs. T's landmarks include:

• Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary — In 1957, dredging had already begun for "Reeds Port," a planned community for 10,000 people on 879 filled acres. Terwilliger called on Dr. Martin Griffin ("I won't take no for an answer") and together with Caroline Livermore they built the coalition that purchased the tidelands. By 1958, the sanctuary was established. Open Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, 376 Greenwood Beach Rd, Tiburon.

• Goat Hill Monarch Butterfly Preserve, Tiburon — Per YWCA records, the preserve was "a direct result of Mrs. T's efforts" through her MCL advocacy. Current stewardship coordinates through the Marin Monarch Working Group.marinmonarch

• Mill Valley–Sausalito Multiuse Pathway — Terwilliger spent years writing to legislators, railroads, and school districts, then organizing monthly cycling meetings until funding was secured. Opened 1981. Now Marin County's most-used route: 1,000+ cyclists daily, plus 263+ pedestrians; Father's Day 2020 saw over 11,000 users in a single day per the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.

• Terwilliger Grove, Muir Woods — Named in her honor inside the 554-acre National Monument. Open daily 8am–sunset, $15 admission, reservations required.

• Terwilliger Marsh (Bothin Marsh Open Space Preserve), Mill Valley — Marin County's most-visited park unit. Currently receiving $1.7M in Measure AA funding through the Evolving Shorelines Project to restore tidal habitat and elevate the Bay Trail against sea-level rise.

Taking over the White House

George Romney, President Ronald Reagan, and Elizabeth Terwilliger at the White House, 1984.

In 1984, Mrs. Terwilliger received President Reagan's Volunteer Action Award. Most recipients accepted their certificates and quietly returned to their seats. Mrs. T had other ideas.

She commandeered the microphone, told everyone to stand up and learn her "V is for Vulture" gesture, and then recite a pledge to leave the country more beautiful than they found it. According to Joan Bekins, the entire room joined in, including a laughing President Reagan.

It was the perfect Mrs. T moment: wherever she went, she found another classroom.