The American Conservation Movement

As an avid American outdoorsman and someone that has traveled all across this blessed land, I have learned to love our nation's best idea, our National Parks. Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Olympic. All infamous names of places that we, as Americans, hold dear to our heart. Today, even the most conservative ones of us, would not dare to think of tearing apart and ripping up our great National Parks. They have become an integral part of our culture, but it did not always use to be this way.

With the oil boom of the late 19th century, Big Oil and other multinational corporate interests began to buy up land throughout the United States. Through their vested corruption of the politicians in Washington, the Oil corporations were able to usurp any parcel or acre of land that they wanted or deemed to have large stocks of fossil fuels. Subsequently, this led to the destruction of many of our most beautiful and unique natural treasures.

Also, at this same time, many Americans were heading West. This lead to a conflict with many of the native animals, trees, and plants that called the Western States home. Great creatures such as the Bison, Grizzly Bear, and Timber Wolves were being wiped out on an industrial scale. Also, many of the grandiose and ancient Western forests were being clear-cut to bits. America was beginning to lose its natural lust.

Enter, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.

Growing up as a young kid in the backwoods of New York, Teddy had a unique connection with the wild places of this country. He would travel to the states hunting big and wild game, including spending much of his time watching some of the last herds of Bison on a private ranch in the prairie hills of North Dakota.

Teddy, even at his youngest ages, believed in the beauty and the unique unspoiled natural landscape of our country. Thus, when saw that big Corporate interests taking up much of this land, Roosevelt fought back against it. He made it a cornerstone of his election and re-election campaigns. Roosevelt, a staunch populist, believed that these most cherished and beautiful monuments should not just be for the rich or Big Oil interests but for every single American. He thought that we all as Americans should have the opportunity to see and experience the natural wonders of this nation. In other words, he wanted every single American to benefit from the nation's resources instead of just a few individuals or select corporate interests.

This philosophical belief led him to enact many progressive reforms in favor of conservation. Using the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, Roosevelt created 150 new national forests, including the Tongass National Forest in 1901, which would be the largest in the US at 17 million acres. He also built the US Forest Service to protect and manage the millions of acres of forest.

Roosevelt also pushed through Congress the Antiquities Act, which would allow him, at the stroke of the Presidental Pen, to protect important natural treasures and monuments. Many of these monuments would later become national parks; such as Grand Cayon, Grand Teton, Olympic, and Lassen (right here in California).

Roosevelt, an avid hunter, also believed in conserving America's game resources. He feared that due to the unchecked power of the vested interests many of his treasured game resources would disappear. Thus, Roosevelt, with the help of Congress, created the first Federal Bird Reserves, including the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake Federal Bird Reserves right here in California, which every year holds the largest concentration of Bald Eagles in the Lower 48 states.  Over the tenure of his presidency, he would create 51 of these. These Reserves would become what we know today as National Wildlife Refuges, and there is one in every state.

His crown jewel though was the creation of 5 national parks; Yosemite, Wind Cave, Sullys Hill, Chickasaw, and Mesa Verde. Yosemite, his prized creation, is worshipped worldwide as a symbol of nature and freedom. In total, Teddy Roosevelt protected and preserved over 230 million acres of land, saving it for future generations of Americans.

This legacy and the idea that Teddy left, the idea that we should protect and conserve our most cherished natural treasures not just for the few, but for the many, sparked a movement throughout the United States. It should be noted that the roots of this movement were taking place right before Roosevelt took office. (The previous 3 presidents used the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 to protect 50 million acres of land). But Teddy's idea, which he produced on a large scale, swept America by storm. For the first time, there would always be groups working to protect and preserve new land in the United States. Every President since Roosevelt would at some point conserve or protect some portion of the United States.

As time moved along and the United States became embroiled in a Depression and two World Wars, the movement held steady and many presidents continued with Teddy's tradition of conservation. For example, the National Monuments that Teddy first protected would become National Parks and FDR created the Conservation Corps which help to sustain many of the public lands in this country and work to improve access to many of our National Parks.

Then, in 1962 Rachel Carson's Silent Spring took the movement in a completely new direction. The book, which discussed the perils that much of the American environment faces, prompted mass outcry and public support for the movement. Starting the late 1960s that energy turned into legislation with the passage of the Clean Air and Clean Water Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the creation of the EPA, NOAA, and Earth Day. The legislative victories carried on with the banning of DDT, Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Coastal Zone Mangement Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

The two biggest Acts passed in this era were the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act of 1980. The Wilderness Act created a new type of protection- Wilderness Areas. These would be places that were protected for the people and by the people. The new National Wilderness Preservation System, created by the Act, preserved many of the rare and untouched jewels of our society that unfortunately could not receive National Park status. The Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act took this a step forward; protecting over 43.6 million acres of land in the 49th state.

By the 21st century, the movement still carries on today, with new goals and higher ambitions, such as protecting our Roadless Areas and combating climate change. But even with these new goals, the heart of the movement stays true to Teddy's vision that started back in 1901; that the natural resources of this country are not just for the few but for the many. That Floridians, Arkansians, and Californians can all enjoy the blessed beauty of this nation whether it is in Alaska, Washington, or Maine. That no matter your background or the amount of wealth you have, you can still experience the natural treasures of our society.

C. Shell


Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/thro/learn/historyculture/theodore-roosevelt-and-conservation.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_in_the_United_States
The National Parks: America's Best Idea by Ken Burns