The James and Edie Harmon Environmental Collection documents James and Edie Harmon's grassroots environmental work in opposition to numerous landfills, mines, and waste projects in the late 1980s and 1990s. The collection dates from 1973 to 1998, and includes environmental impact reports, correspondences, newspaper clippings, litigation documents, government documents, health reports, environmental reports, and letters from the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations. The collection contains an abundance of environmental impact reports, but a noticeable lack of personal analysis by the Harmons. The collection consist of 12 major series: Mesquite Landfill Project Files (1984-1996), Sewage and Sludge Waste Files (1985-1997), Eagle Mountain Landfill Files (1991-1997), North County Recycling and Energy Recovery Center Files (1981-1987), Campo Solid Waste Management Project Files (1992-1994), Republic Imperial Landfill Expansion Files (1994-1996), El Remate Incorporated Agricultural Project Files (1973-1990), Soledad Mountain Mining Project Files (1997), Castle Mountain Mine Expansion Project Files (1987-1998), White Pit Mining Project Files (1995-1998), Bolo Station Landfill Files (1994), and Jimenez Pit Granite Construction Files (1996).

James and Edith Harmon were married for 28 years. James Harmon was born May 24, 1919 in Middletown, Ohio. As a young man he enrolled in the Navy and fought in World War II. He later went on to fight in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. James achieved the difficult task of becoming an officer after entering service as an enlisted man. After serving 20 years, he retired from the military, and pursued his PhD in Political Science. He went on to become a professor at San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus from 1964-1981. James requested assignment to the remote campus because of his love for the desert habitat. While at SDSU he became the Chair of the Political Science Department. Also at SDSU, James met Edith, or Edie as she is more commonly known. She was born in 1945 and was 26 years his junior. The couple spent almost every day of their marriage together, until his death on April 26, 2007. Edie Harmon grew up in Massachusetts. She graduated from Macalester College in 1966 as a geography major. She fell in love with the desert when she went to Africa with the Peace Corps. She would go on to spend time in Africa as a teacher in biology and art. While there she also studied desert lands and animals. When she met James, Edie decided to move to Imperial County. While in Imperial County Edie went on to become a longtime volunteer for the Sierra Club and the Desert Protective Council. She continues to be the liaison between the Bureau of Land Management and the Sierra Club.

17.72 Linear Feet

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This collection is open for research.