History of Environmental Science
Agricultural Revolution 10,000 years ago
Industrial Revolution 275 years ago
1800’s – Uncontrolled destruction of the Nations forests (exploit
the land attitude)
1872 – Yellowstone National Park – world’s first national park
1875 - American Forestry Association (citizens) – made the public
aware of what was happening to the forests
1890 – Yosemite plus Sequoia parks established in Calif. Because
of John Muis plus the Sierra Club
1891 – General Revision Act – allowed President Theodore
Roosevelt to preserve forest lands; saved 43 million acres of forest
1892 – Sierra Club founded by John Muir
1900 – Lacey Act: Import of wildlife banned
1901-09 – Golden Age of conservation (Theodore Roosevelt)
1903 – First national wildlife refuge established; Forest reserves
increased
1905 – U.S. forest Service – Gifford Pinchot scientific
management plus sustainable yield and multiple use; Aldo Leopold
developed philosophy of wilderness.
1905 Audubon Society founded
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND!
1906 – Antiquities Act – created the national monuments to protect
cultural amenities
1907 – Congress became upset because Roosevelt was waving so
much forest land so they banned further withdrawals
1912 – U.S. National Park service
1916 – Natinal Park Service created (over 300 sites by 1998)
1933 – Civilian Conservation corps created to provide jobs; plant
trees, develop parks, flood control, soil erosion, protect wildlife
1933 – Soil Conservation Service
1934 – Taylor Grazing Act – permit limited the number of
livestock
1940 – Fish plus Wildlife Service
1962 – Silent Spring published by Rachel Carson (died 1964
because of cancer)
1963 – Wilderness Act (National Wilderness System)
1964 – Wilderness Act – protected million of acres of America
wilderness
1969 – Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, caught fire
1970 (April 22) – First Earth day (Senator Gaylord Nelson) – 20
million people celebrated
1970 – Environmental Protection Agency established
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND!
1970 – First Earth Day and passage of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) – environmental Impact statement (EIS)
1970 – Clean Air Act
1973 – Endangered Species Act – Protects endangered species
1973 – OPEC oil embargo
1974 – Roland & Molina (UCI) announce that CFC’s is depleting
the ozone layer
1977 – Clean Water Act
1978 – Love Canal, NY. – Toxic waste leaks into residential
houses
1979 – 3 mile Island nuclear accident
1980 – Alaskan Lands Act
1984 – Bhopal, India – chemical toxic cloud kills 2,000
1986 – Chernobyl – world’s worst nuclear accident
1987 – Montreal Protocol (CFC is banned)
1989 – Exxon Valdez – 11 Million Gal. Of oil spilled
1990 – Earth Day – 200 million people in 141 nations celebrate
1994 – Desert Protection Act – saved millions of acres of
California desert
1999- World Population hits 6 Billion
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND!