Editing Rachel Carson (section)

===<span id="The Edge of the Sea"></span> ''The Edge of the Sea'' and transition to conservation work ===
Early in 1953, Carson began library and field research on the ecology and organisms of the Atlantic shore.<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=223–244}}</ref> In 1955, she completed the third volume of her sea trilogy, ''The Edge of the Sea'', which focuses on life in [[coast]]al ecosystems, particularly along the [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern Seaboard]]. It appeared in ''The New Yorker'' in two condensed installments shortly before its October 26 book release by [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin]] (again a new publisher). By this time, Carson's reputation for clear and poetical prose was well established; ''The Edge of the Sea'' received highly favorable reviews, if not quite as enthusiastic as for ''The Sea Around Us''.<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=261–276}}</ref>

Through 1955 and 1956, Carson worked on several projects—including the script for an ''[[Omnibus (U.S. TV series)|Omnibus]]'' episode, "Something About the Sky"—and wrote articles for popular magazines. Her plan for the next book was to address [[evolution]]. However, the publication of [[Julian Huxley]]'s ''Evolution in Action''—and her own difficulty in finding a clear and compelling approach to the topic—led her to abandon the project. Instead, her interests were turning to conservation. She considered an environment-themed book project tentatively titled ''Remembrance of the Earth'' and became involved with [[The Nature Conservancy]] and other conservation groups. She also made plans to buy and preserve from development an area in Maine she and Freeman called the "Lost Woods."<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=276–300}}</ref>

In early 1957, a family tragedy struck for the third time when one of her nieces she had cared for since the 1940s died at the age of 31, leaving her 5-year-old son, Roger Christie, an orphan. Carson took on the responsibility for Roger when she adopted him, along with caring for her aging mother. Carson moved to [[Silver Spring, Maryland]] to care for Roger and spent much of 1957 putting together a new living situation and studying specific environmental threats.

By late 1957, Carson was closely following federal proposals for widespread pesticide spraying; the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) planned to eradicate [[Red imported fire ant|fire ants]]. Other spraying programs involving [[Organochloride|chlorinated hydrocarbons]] and [[organophosphate]]s were on the rise.<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=305–313}}</ref> For the rest of her life, Carson's main professional focus would be the dangers of pesticide overuse.