Environmental Movement:
Essential Question: How did the conservation movement begin, and what did individuals
and organizations accomplish? What key figures both inside and outside of government
played important roles?
The People and Groups:
John Muir- farmer, inventor, naturalist, explorer, writer
 Loved the exploration and the retention of nature from a young age
 In 1867, injured his eye and lost sight for a month
o As soon as he got his sight back, he dedicated his life to the fields and
woods
 Lived in California
o Fascinated by Yosemite Park and Sierra Nevada
 Traveled the world looking through nature and preserving it
 Wrote “Studies in the Sierra” and other articles recounting his travels through
nature
 In 1890, Muir convinced Congress to pass an act to create Yosemite National
Park
o Also personally involved in the creation of Sequoia, Mount Rainier,
Petrified Forest, and most importantly, the Grand Canyon
 Nicknamed the “father of our national park system”
 Founded the Sierra Club with a number of his supporters
 Published “Our National Parks,” which brought him to attention of Theodore
Roosevelt
 “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
Sierra Club
 Group of conservationists (very influential)
 Fought many battles to protect Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada
Theodore Roosevelt
 1867 Roosevelt Museum of Natural History opened and Teddy liked to find
specimens to put in it including a seal’s skull (he was only eight at the time)
 He also donated specimens to the museum of natural history
 traveled around the world killing animals to bring back as specimens, something
all naturalists of the time did
 Founded Boone and Crockett Club in 1887 along with George Bird Grinnell
 The club supported clean water, scientific forest management, and restricted use
of natural resources as well as promoting the joys of hunting as well as the study
and preservation of animals and their habitats
 The club participated in the battle of Yellowstone in order to keep miners and
railroads out of the national park and were able to get Grover Cleveland to sign a
bill protecting Yellowstone
 While he was president in 1903, he signed a bill protecting wild birds in Florida
from mass extinction from being hunted for their feathers for hat plumes, calling
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the nesting ground he protected Pelican Island Bird Reservation and created about
50 places like that throughout his presidency
Created Bureau of Forestry with Gifford Pinchot as the head to protect forests
from lumber choppers
Created 11 national parks by signing them into being including Devil’s Tower and
Grand Canyon
Along with Muir, created his notable conservation programs
Appointed dedicated conservationists Gifford Pinchot and James Garfield
1891 Forest Reserve Act- withdrew from development more than 200 million
acres of forestland (greater than the his 3 predecessors combined)
William Taft
 Taft appointed Ballinger to Head of the Department of the Interior who
immediately began opening some tracts of land to commercial purposes
 Then the Chief Forester Pinchot said that it was wrong for Ballinger opening parts
of Alaska to mining companies but it was ok and he was fired
 The appointment of Ballinger was seen as Taft being uninterested in saving the
environment however his appointment after Pinchot was pretty good and saved
many acres of land
Gifford Pinchot
 His definition of conservation- “the greatest good to the greatest number for the
longest time”
 Appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt as Chief of the Forest Service
o Also became head of USDA’s Division of Forestry
 First American to take up the profession of forestry
 Believed that public wilderness areas
John Muir vs. Gifford Pinchot
 John Muir = preserve the wilderness (leave nature alone)
 Gifford Pinchot = conserve the wilderness (protect it, but utilize the resources)
Laws and Bills Put in Place:
 1890- Yosemite National Park authorized by Congress
o Creation of another national park (first being Yellowstone)
 Boone and Crockett Club- supported clean water, scientific forest management,
and restricted use of natural resources as well as promoting the joys of hunting as
well as the study and preservation of animals and their habitats
 1891- Theodore Roosevelt passes the Forest Reserve Act, which withdrew from
development more than 200 million acres of forestland
o More than his 3 predecessors combined
 1892- John Muir founded the Sierra Club
 1897- Forest Management Act authorizes commercial use of forests
o Shows that the country has more of a conservational mentality
Why There Should Be an Environment Wing in the Smithsonian Museum:
 Formation of political parties dedicated solely to the conservation and
preservation movements
 Creation of famous and important national parks
o Yosemite and the Grand Canyon
 New government laws put in place to protect the environment
o Showed that the country, including Theodore Roosevelt, thought that the
environment should be conserved (resources should be used) but not
preserved (the environment should be left in tact)
* Fun fact: Over 27% of the land in the United States is protected environmental
area. This is comprised of land of wilderness preservation as well as land that is
protected from commercial exploitation.
Works Cited
"Environmental History Timeline: 1890-1920." Environmental History Timeline: 1890-1920.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.
"The John Muir Exhibit - The Sierra Club." The John Muir Exhibit - The Sierra Club. Sierra
Club, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.
Muir, John. "Letter from John Muir." Letter to Theodore Roosevelt. 9 Sept. 1907. Holt-Atherton
Special Collections. N.p., 2008. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
Roosevelt, Theodore. "Letter from Theodore Roosevelt." Letter to John Muir. 14 Mar.
1903. Digital Library. Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson University, n.d. Web. 8
Oct. 2013.
"Taft and Domestic Policy: After TR." Taft and Domestic Policy: After TR. N.p., n.d. Web. 08
Oct. 2013.
"Theodore Roosevelt and the Environment." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.