Messenger - Vol. 2, No. 1, Page 14 Fall 1992 'The Swamp Lady' Millie Ludwig, Delaware '43 '64 M, is retired, but she's far from finished working. A resident of Earleville, Md., Ludwig is a nationally recognized environmentalist who has fought and won battles over proposed incinerators, sludge dumping and land developments in her backyard--the awe-inspiring Chesapeake Bay. And she has helped thousands of others to win their own battles. "I don't get paid, but I love what I do," she says," and it needs to be done, so I do it. What I can't understand is why more people don't do it." Ludwig, who studied biology at Delaware, has developed a reputation over the last three decades as an effective resource for environmentalists. She doesn't go out "into the field" much anymore, but still regularly receives visitors, phone calls and letters from around the country. Typically, those who contact her want information on the effects of various pollutants or statistics on the environment. About a decade ago, Ludwig says she logged about 2,700 guest visits in a year, and scout troops accounted for about two-thirds of the total. Phone calls still come in droves, but the most interesting part of Ludwig's many communications may be the letters that flood her mailbox. And, it's not so much the quantity of letters. It is their addresses. You see, Ludwig's mail regularly comes to: "The Swamp Lady, Ches Haven on the Sassafras, Earleville, Md." That's right, The Swamp Lady. Ludwig, who is 70, picked up the nickname about 30 years ago, when she was collecting samples of swamp life near her home. A Girl Scout from a nearby camp spotted her and said, "You must be a swamp lady." To this day, Ludwig carries the title with pride. "The wetlands are the most valuable land we have," she says. "If my name somehow heightens awareness of that fact, then it's fine." A member of a multitude of local, regional and national groups, including the Sassafras River Community Council, Delmarva Environmental Education Network and the Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Wastes, Ludwig has been recognized by many organizations as a key player in environmental protection. In 1984, for instance, Ludwig and two friends joined forces, organizing a grassroots community group known as the Friends of Five Rivers, and they successfully fought proposed sludge dumping on the banks of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. For their efforts, Ludwig and her friends received a citation from the Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Wastes. Four years later, Ludwig received a note from then President Ronald Reagan, thanking her for her volunteer efforts. Just last year, the group was recognized again, this time at a meeting of the International Global Assembly, "Women and the Environment, Partners in Life." Recently, the women's "sludge-busting" story was highlighted in the 1992 Environmental Success Index by the non-profit Renew America. As part of a periodic government survey, Ludwig also collects data on local rivers for various agencies and the National Park Service for its national registry. And she shares this information with individuals as well. For example, she gave material on the entire Chesapeake region-rivers and all-to an Army major stationed in Germany who grew up on the bay and wanted to share information with his young children. More recently, Ludwig has been active in tracking down environmental literature and maps for local schools and libraries. Some of the same groups she supplies with information, such as the National Park Service, later return the favor by giving Ludwig materials she needs to fill a request. The Swamp Lady attributes much of her success to networking. "I know a lot of people," she says, "and many of them are very willing to help me get things done." She also relies heavily on knowledge she picked up during her formal "working years." Ludwig's many professional jobs have included research chemist, technical writer, full-time and substitute science teacher in elementary and secondary schools, social worker and freelance newspaper reporter. She also worked for the Biochemical Research Foundation, a division of the Franklin Institute, as well as for W.L. Gore & Associates. Currently, she spends two to three hours each day responding to mail, talking with information-seekers on the telephone and rooting through her files of environmental information. "Basically," Ludwig explains, "I'm a snoop and an archivist. My greatest pleasure is to work on my files." A Massachusetts native whose family moved to Delaware when she was 6 years old, Ludwig is a popular speaker at elementary and secondary schools in Maryland. The Swamp Lady also takes youngsters, including Girl Scouts from the camp next door, on nature walks, pointing out trouble spots in the local environment and telling the young people what they can do to protect Mother Nature. -Stephen M. Steenkamer, Delaware '92