The Conservation Movement

“Boston just broke their all-time snowiest month this February. Nice job, Al Gore” read another Facebook comment. This was another classic example of “It’s not happening in my backyard so it must not be happening” syndrome. I sighed. Why can’t people just open their eyes to the world around them? Does it always take an effective leader to bring to light the environmental and social issues to the general public? It appears so, and Theodore Roosevelt, the early leader of the Progressive movement, is a perfect example. Roosevelt raised the public’s awareness of environmental concerns in a time long before scientific tests and the multitude of “then and now” photographs could captivate people’s attention and motivate them to be active in conservation. The conservation movement was successful in being a Progressive movement because of Roosevelt’s ability to appeal to the vast majority of Americans.

Roosevelt with Gifford Pinchot

Several years before becoming President, Roosevelt spent a few years in the Dakota territory where he planned to hunt Bison. To his astonishment, wildlife, including the Bison, were disappearing quickly. Like many Americans at the time Roosevelt was an avid sportsman, which meant he still wanted to hunt and be able to use the vast wilderness of the west. At the same time, he recognized that something must be done to protect that land so the wildlife did not disappear entirely. Out of these concerns the conservation movement was born: the idea that through sustainable use of land it could be kept both as a safe haven for wildlife and a place useful to humans at the same time. More generally, Roosevelt became concerned about the rate at which America was using up its resources: “It is evident that the abundant natural resources on which the welfare of this Nation rests are becoming depleted and in not a few cases are already exhausted. This is true of all portions of the United States; it is especially true of the longer-settled communities of the East.” While still focusing on the many issues at hand during his presidency, Roosevelt then began working toward realizing his vision of conservation in America. He began by transferring millions of acres of land under the US Forest Service from private hands to the government, and named Gifford Pinchot as head of the re-vamped Forest Service. Pinchot was a conservationist himself, who also shared Roosevelt’s view that a scientific approach with careful planning should be applied to maintaining the nation’s forests. Through this process Roosevelt was able to establish over 150 national forests though his presidency where resources such as timber could still be used.  However, instead of being used recklessly, the land was carefully managed.

Roosevelt camping with John Muir in Yosemite
National Park in California

Roosevelt was able to make the conservation movement so successful in his time mostly because of his ability to put forth concerns relatable to the people. For the better part of the late 19th century, Americans romanticized the idea of a free and wild frontier--the West. Around the turn of the 20th century however, Americans began to realize that there was no more expansion to be done in North America. The frontier had closed, and a concern for sustainable resources had become real. As a result, Roosevelt’s concerns for conservation hit especially close to home for Americans at this time. Roosevelt made bold claims about the future of the United States if Americans did not change their behaviors: "We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation."  It is one thing to make bold claims and carry out measures to ensure that America became more of a conservationist nation, but what made Roosevelt’s message so remarkable is that not only did people listen, they engaged in the movement. I think the reason Roosevelt’s message was so strong is characterized well in the quote above. First, he begins by stating a message that all Americans believe to be true, something that is a rallying point. "We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources.”. What American during the early 20th century wouldn't want to call their country great? Then, when everyone is feeling good about themselves, Roosevelt lays out the consequences of not taking action: “soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation." Combined with the fear associated with the closing of the frontier, this message resonated deeply with Americans and inspired a conservationist spirit in many.

John Muir

Not only did Roosevelt appeal to the people of the United States with his conservationist
message, he did not neglect to empathize with concerns of preservationists. Preservationists such as John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club, believed that land should be preserved in its original form for both environmental and aesthetic reasons. Roosevelt’s time in the Dakota territory opened his eyes to the natural beauty of the West and encouraged him to establish National Parks to protect the land from any use of its resources or wildlife. In one of these parks, Yosemite National Park in California, Roosevelt spent several days camping with Muir himself where among other topics they likely discussed the issue of preservation. While preservationists were definitely the minority during this time, taking a pure conservationist stance and alienating the preservationists would have been a costly mistake for Roosevelt. The main reason that his movement was successful, like any successful movement, was his ability to include all people and create a common goal. With this in mind, the National Parks satisfied the preservationists while the US Forest Service satisfied the larger conservationist group, making Roosevelt’s movements arguably one of the most successful of the Progressive era.

Hetch Hetchy valley before damming

Despite the overall success of the conservation movement as a whole, there was some degree of resistance mainly from people waving the conservationist flag. The controversy over the damming of the Hetch Hetchy valley in California is a prime example of an issue that pitted conservationists against preservationists. Due to rapid expansion the city of San Francisco was experiencing a severe water shortage. To alleviate these concerns, the city proposed building a dam over a portion of the Hetch Hetchy valley to deliver a steady water supply to the city. The

Hetch Hetchy valley after damming

only problem was, part of the valley that was to be dammed was located inside the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. The decision was left up to congress on whether to authorize the building of the dam or not. A furious debate raged in which preservationists argued that the valley should be protected for it’s natural beauty, and conservationists argued that the resources should be used for the benefit of the city. Hundreds of people wrote in arguing for or against building the dam. Among them was a petition from the San Francisco Examiner which argued that the city was “endangered” and the need for water was “urgent and imperative”. Without the water supply the city would be “throttled; its health menaced; its development blocked” (San Francisco Examiner Petition). To me, these concerns don’t sound very ‘conservationist’. Rather, they are merely focused on the well being of the citizens. These concerns are very serious indeed, but it would seem as though the supporters of the dam pushed it through by just using the conservationist name and idea without really meaning it. Whatever the motive, the dam was finally authorized by congress after a long period of debate. However, this controversy was so important because it was the first time an environmental scandal had reached the national stage. While preservationists and to some degree conservationists did not succeed in stopping the dam, they did succeed in attracting much more publicity to their cause.  

The National Park and Forest System

The implications of what Roosevelt did over 100 years ago on today are vast. Now, environmental and climate science have gotten wrapped up in a politically-charged debate. Roosevelt did not attempt to bring politics into his discussion. He started with the few points about conservation that Americans could believe in, and rallied the nation to do something about it. Roosevelt didn't alienate any portion of the population with his policies; he was inclusive of both preservationists and conservationists just like today climate scientists should not alienate those people who don’t believe the science if they want to get their message across. To get out of this politically dominated debate over the future of our planet, we should focus on the few aspects that everyone can agree on, and take small steps towards living more sustainably.

Works Cited

United States. National Park Service. "Theodore Roosevelt and Conservation." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 04 Feb. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.  This is a background on Theodore Roosevelt’s path to being a leader in the conservation movement. The National Park Service likely knows more about the conservation movement than many other organizations so the information is likely very accurate. This website also contains quotes from Roosevelt which I can use as primary source information.

United States. National Park Service. "Conservation vs. Preservation and the National Park Service." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. 

This is a basic overview of the essential difference between the ideas of preservation and conservation seen through the eyes of the National Park Service, which was established to protect the nation’s national park system in 1916. 

Doub, George. "Conservation V.s. Preservation." - Environmental History. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

This research paper gives a very broad overview and helps draw connections between what is happening today with conservation and preservation and the roots of those movements. It is for the most part unbiased and clearly highlights the differences between the two movements. 

"Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.

"San Francisco Examiner Petition." Letter to Congress. Dec. 1913. National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

This article written by the National Archives gives a broad overview and a basic scope of the Hetch Hetchy dam controversy in San Francisco. The primary source is the San Francisco Examiner’s letter to Congress petitioning for congress to allow the dam to be built. The letter is from the National Archives. 

Watts, J. F. and Fred L. Israel, eds. President Theodore Roosevelt on the Importance of Conservation. 2000. Presidential Documents. History Study Center. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

This letter from Theodore Roosevelt to the governor of Alabama inviting him to a meeting about conservation is from History Study Center. This primary source shows how important the idea of conservation is to Roosevelt. 

"environment." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

This article from ABC-Clio did not just focus on the conservation movement over the progressive area, it gave an overview of the environmental movement from the late 1800s until recent times. This broad approach will help me tie in ideas from the progressive era and trace them over time to today.

Brinkley, Alan. "Roosevelt and Conservation." American History. 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 596. Print.

This information from our textbook highlights Roosevelt’s ability to see both sides of the Conservation and Preservation movements. It makes it evident why Roosevelt was so effective at protecting so much land: he was able to appeal to everyone with his ideas.