The Matecumbe Historical Trust’s next free presentation will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Islamorada library. The talk will be on the “Age of Extermination” in South Florida, and the people who fought to stop it.
The period between the late 1800s and the early 1900s is sometimes referred to as the “Age of Extermination” by historians due to the unparalleled slaughter of American wildlife. As new pioneers headed south to the tip of Florida, the practice known as “plume hunting” followed, in which birds such as the egret, spoonbill and flamingo were killed by the millions to make fashionable hats.
To be conservation-minded was unpopular at the time, and yet even back then there were people who fought to save these creatures from extinction, sometimes paying with their lives. Julia Solokow will take attendees through the history of the plume trade and how America’s first game warden, Guy Bradley, died protecting South Florida’s birds.
Sokolow is a local historian and artist with a passion for conservation. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2016 with a degree in evolutionary biology, she has worked for the National Aquarium, the South Carolina Aquarium, and since 2022, has been the museum programs specialist at the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada. There, she has spearheaded the creation of educational programs, guided tours and worked with the curator to create new exhibits each year and has used historic dive gear.
More information is at 305-393-0940.
