WASHINGTON – Art Cooley, a longtime activist who co-founded the Environmental Defense Fund more than 50 years ago, has died. Cooley, 87, helped launch the group, now one of the world's leading ...

This image provided by John Rae shows Art Cooley in New York in June 2017. Cooley, a longtime activist who co-founded the Environmental Defense Fund, has died. Cooley, 87, helped launch the group ...

Art Cooley, a Long Islander who a half century ago cofounded the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) — among the most influential nonprofits of its kind in the world — has died. He was 87.

“We knew DDT was damaging the eggshells of birds, preventing chicks and eaglets from hatching," Art Cooley, the late Long Island environmental advocate, once said.