Edge Rewrite
restyle Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

Jump to content

Susan Baur

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Susan Baur is an American author and community activist who founded Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG).[1]

Early life and education

[edit]

Baur obtained a bachelor's degree in oceanography[2] from Vassar College in 1961.[3] In her 40s, she earned a doctorate in psychology from Boston College.[3]

Career and activism

[edit]

Baur worked as a clinical psychologist and wrote fiction and nonfiction for children[2] and adults, including four books about freshwater turtles.[4] She published a 1973 history of oceanography under the name Susan Schlee.[5] Baur founded Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG) in 2018[6] to mobilize volunteers to clean Cape Cod ponds and improve turtle habitats,[7] noting that "the greatest underutilized power in the United States is women over 65".[8] Baur told a reporter she "set off in the company of turtles to find a new way to be happy" when she was in her mid-60s.[4] In 2023, she held tryouts for OLAUG, requiring volunteers to swim half a mile in under 30 minutes, finish a mile comfortably, and dive down 8–10 feet.[6]

Baur described the group's impact as promoting team-building and lifting older women's confidence and self-esteem.[9] She noted that some members were motivated by adventure, camaraderie, and concern for the environment.[5] In 2024, Baur's talk show appearance drew tears from host Drew Barrymore.[10] In 2025, the group's dredging of a toilet out of a pond was pictured on the front page of the Boston Globe.[4] Baur was chosen as one of the Explorer Club's 50 visionaries of 2025 "doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration".[11] Liz McGregor's film Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage earned honorable mention at the 2026 5Point Adventure Film Festival.[12]

Selected works

[edit]
  • Swimming with Turtles: How Wonder Reconnects Us to the Natural World, University of Massachusetts Press, 2026 ISBN 9781625349545
  • Confiding: A Psychotherapist And Her Patients Search For Stories To Live By, HarperCollins, 1994 ISBN 0-06-018238-5[13]
  • The Dinosaur Man, Tales of Madness and Enchantment From the Back Ward, HarperCollins, 1992 ISBN 978-0060981044[14][15]
  • Hypochondria: Woeful Imaginations, University of California Press, 1988[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Buckley, Cara; Hickey, Billy (2026-07-17), "Taking Out the Trash: These Old Ladies Are Cleaning Up Cape Cod", The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331, retrieved 2026-07-19
  2. 1 2 Balliett, Jamie (2012-06-03). "Author Susan Baur's second 'turtle' book due this fall". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  3. 1 2 Brandes, Rebekah (2025-03-02). "Meet the Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage". Nice News. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  4. 1 2 3 Choate, Aden (2024-09-25). "A New Way to Be Happy: Fighting Garbage". The Provincetown Independent. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  5. 1 2 Park, Jo. "Why Do The Old Ladies Jump in the Pond?". cultureroom.theclimatetribe.com. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  6. 1 2 Penman, Maggie (2025-09-04). "At 85, she leads a squad of women who dive deep in ponds for litter". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  7. ↑ Ruhalter, Kana; Rath, Arun (2025-01-21). "These 'Old Ladies' are keeping Cape Cod's freshwater ponds clean". GBH. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  8. ↑ Hugi, Pamela (2025-04-23). "Inspiring Stories: Susan Baur, 85, Saves Turtles from Underwater Garbage". seniorplanet.org. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  9. ↑ Archacki, Liam. "A Senior Moment". www.readersdigest.in. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  10. ↑ "Drew Barrymore cries after hearing woman's story about starting an underwater cleanup organization". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2025-02-03. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  11. ↑ Turek, Susan (2025-04-30). "'Old Ladies' group goes viral for unconventional community project: 'We've got something terrific'". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  12. ↑ O’Clair, Julianna (2026-04-30). "5Point announces 2026 winning films following 19th annual flagship festival". Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  13. ↑ CONFIDING | Kirkus Reviews.
  14. ↑ Kevles, Bettyann (1991-08-06). "BOOK REVIEW : Enchanting Tale of Anguish and Illness : THE DINOSAUR MAN, Tales of Madness and Enchantment From the Back Ward, by Susan Baur". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  15. ↑ THE DINOSAUR MAN | Kirkus Reviews.
  16. ↑ Streitfeld, David (1988-02-26). "HYPOCHONDRIACS THEIR ILL-FATED LIVES". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Susan_Baur&oldid=1366633641"