America’s First Game Warden Died Fighting for the Birds

In 1905, the Everglades were a hotbed of sinister activity, with men killing birds for their feathers, which were highly coveted due to a recent ban on plume hunting. The Florida Audubon Society hired Guy Bradley, a family man from Flamingo, to be the region's official bird guardian. Bradley was America's original game warden and was murdered at the age of 35 while trying to stop poachers from killing cormorants. A notorious poacher fatally shot Bradley and set his body afloat in the Gulf of Mexico. The "plume boom" of the late 1800s and early 1900s had a devastating impact on Florida's bird populations, with entire colonies being wiped out and some species being hunted almost to extinction. The Florida government took legal action against plume hunting in 1901, but it wasn't enforced until Bradley was hired. Bradley's murder sparked outrage and made him a nationally known posthumous hero, leading to stricter legislation and the establishment of Everglades National Park in 1947. Today, Bradley is remembered as an environmental martyr and one of the great early conservationists of the 20th century. His legacy continues to inspire conservation efforts, and species like the snowy egret have rebounded in the Everglades due to these efforts.