Conservation and Wilderness History

1
Conservation and Wilderness History

• Early U.S. Writers
• Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882

To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as
much from his chamber as from society. I am not
solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody
is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him
look at the stars. The rays that come from those
heavenly worlds, will separate between him and
what he touches. One might think the atmosphere
was made transparent with this design, to give
man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual
presence of the sublime. Seen in the streets of
cities, how great they are! If the stars should
appear one night in a thousand years, how would
men believe and adore and preserve for many
generations the remembrance of the city of God
which had been shown! But every night come out
these envoys of beauty, and light the universe
with their admonishing smile.
2
Conservation and Wilderness History

• Early U.S. Writers
• H.D. Thoreau (1817-1862)
• (Walden)

In wildness is the preservation of the world.
3
Yellowstone

• 1872
• Yellowstone first national park.

4
1897 The Forest "Organic" Act

• Establishes National Forest system for the
  purpose of "securing favorable conditions of
  water flow, and securing a continuous supply of
  timber...

1905 Department of Agriculture to manage forest
reserves under U.S. Forest Service.
5
John Muir
Scotland born (1890-1914) Writer,
preservationist, inventor Hiked extensively in
Sierras Discovered Glaciation of Western
Mountains Founded Sierra Club (linked Alaska
with American West)
6
Gifford Pinchot
Born in CT (1865-1946) Attended Yale
University Founded Yale School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies (as did Whitney, Pallant,
and Bowden) Founder of modern forest
service Strong conservation approach Favored
wise use of forests
7
First wildlife refuge

• 1903
• Nation's first wildlife refuge is formed when
  President Theodore Roosevelt protects Pelican
  Island, FL, from hunters decimating the island's
  bird population. Nearly 70 years later, the area
  is designated a Wilderness (in 1970), becoming
  the smallest designated Wilderness in the system
  (5 acres).

8
The Weeks Act

• 1911
• Appropriates 9 million dollars to purchase 6
  million acres of land in the eastern United
  States for the purpose of establishing national
  forests.

9
Hetch Hetchy Valley - 1913
Most noted wilderness battle ground
Water for San Francisco v. wilderness
protection Pinchot v. Muir Pinchot won
10
Wilderness Society 1935
We are advocates for the land. At the heart of
the work we do is the land ethic, which defines a
set of principles in how humans should relate to
the land "A thing is right when it tends to
preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of
the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends
otherwise." - Aldo Leopold
11
Isle Royale National Park - 1940
12
Isle Royale National Park

13
Bureau of Land Management

• 1946
• The Grazing Service and the General Land Office
  are merged to form the Bureau of Land Management.

14
Multiple Use and Sustained Yield Act
1960 The Multiple Use and Sustained Yield Act
redefined the purpose of the national forests to
include not only timber and watershed concerns,
but also recreation, wildlife, fishing, hunting,
and soil concerns.
15
Rachel Carson - 1962
16
Wilderness Act
Bob Marshall
1964 Wilderness Act is signed into law Designates
9.1 million acres as Wilderness (in Arizona,
California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana,
North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico,
Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming)
17
Sigurd Olson
Writer, guide, naturalist, activist
18
Wilderness Act
19
1968 National Park Additions

• Redwoods National Park in California and North
  Cascades National Park in Washington are
  established
• The National Wild Scenic Rivers and National
  Trails Acts are signed into law
• Congress designates nearly 800,000 acres of
  wilderness in California, New Jersey, Oregon,
  Washington

20
Sen. Gaylord Nelson

• 1969
• Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin calls for
  national teach-in on the environment to be called
  "Earth Day".
• Congress designates 161,500 acres of wilderness
  in California (Desolation, Ventana).

21
Cuyahoga River 1969
22
Nixon as Environmental President

• Environmental Protection Agency established
• Clean Air Act signed into law
• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) signed
  into law. Requires an analysis of the
  environmental impacts of federal actions.
• Nearly 200,000 acres of wilderness are designated
  by Congress
• President's Council on Environmental Quality
  established. CEQ advises and assists the
  President on environmental policies oversees
  federal agencies implementation of the
  environmental impact assessment process.

23

• April 22 - 20 million people participate in
  "Earth Day" demonstrations and activities
  Environmental Protection Agency established

24
1972

• Clean Water Act signed into law.
• The carcinogenic pesticide DDT is banned.
• Congress designates nearly 1 million acres of
  wilderness in Arizona, California, Florida,
  Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming.

25
Endangered Species Act

• 1973
• Endangered Species Act signed into law. Protects
  habitat for plants and wildlife.

26
1974

• Eastern Wilderness Areas Act designates 207,000
  acres of wilderness on national lands in 13
  states
• Act corrected Forest Service's misinterpretation,
  reaffirming the congressional intent of the 1964
  Wilderness Act that lands recovering from prior
  abuse can be designated as wilderness.
• Such lands were included among the original areas
  designated by the Wilderness Act itself
• (e.g. Shining Rock, Great Gulf, Linville Gorge in
  the east, and numerous portions in the west)

Great Gulf, NH
27
National Forest Management Act
1976   National Forest Management Act (NFMA)
Requires the U.S. Forest Service to include
economic, wildlife, wilderness and recreational
uses in planning.
28
1978

• Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
• established 13 new national parks, 16 new
  national wildlife refuges and 2 new national
  forests
• adding 56 million acres to the National
  Wilderness Preservation System, including the
  largest wilderness area in the system,
  Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska, which now includes
  9,676,994 acres.

29
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act - 1978
30
1990

• Wilderness is designated in
• Alaska - 299,531 acres of national forest lands
• Arizona - 1,343,444 acres of National Wildlife
  Refuge Wilderness
• 1,133,660 acres of BLM lands.
• Illinois - 25,549 acres of national forest lands
  Maine
• 12,000 acres of national forest lands.

31
1994

• California Desert Protection Act brings the
  National Wilderness Preservation System up to
  104.7 million acres
• Establishes Mojave National Preserve.
• Designated U.S. wilderness now amounts to a
  little more than four percent of the total U.S.
  land base.
• The bald eagle is upgraded to a "threatened"
  species on the Endangered Species List

32
Gaylord NelsonAgain
1995   Sen. Gaylord Nelson, founder of "Earth
Day" awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
33
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
1996   President Clinton establishes Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.
34
Outside Threats - Mining
35
Air Pollution Great Smoky National Park
36
Allegheny National Forest
37
History of Allegheny National Forest

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_National_Fo
  rest

38
Dynamic nature of ANF

• http//www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/allegheny/about/hi
  story/

39
Deer in Allegheny National Forest Statistics
Figure 1. Deer density and forage production,
Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania,
1900-1994 (Redding 1995)
http//www.arec.umd.edu/Policycenter/Deer-Manageme
nt-in-Maryland/decalesta.htm