For this blog, I’ve decided to do things a little
differently. Having a degree in history, I’ve always enjoyed researching and
writing about the exploration and discoveries made in North America, such as
the Lewis and Clark Expedition. However, as America moved into the 20th
century, few people had a greater impact to the conservation movement and
preservation of our nation’s most beautiful and significant places than
President Theodore Roosevelt.
As a young boy, Roosevelt’s fascination with nature began
with taxidermy. His family traveled across Europe, where he found that hiking
and physical activity helped minimize his asthma. He attended Harvard, where he
excelled in biology and became an accomplished naturalist and ornithologist.
After the death of his wife, Roosevelt moved to the Dakota Territories, where
he became a rancher, hunter, and author. He realized the negative effects of
overgrazing and formed the Boone and Crockett Club, whose goal was to preserve
large game animals and their habitats. Before his presidency, Roosevelt became
known for his famous military actions during the Spanish- American War. (He was
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001).
Perhaps Roosevelt’s greatest and most well-known
contribution during his presidency were his policies towards conservation. He
created the US Forest Service and worked closely with its chief, Gifford
Pinchot. He was invited by John Muir to travel to Yosemite National Park in
1903. Sharing a common passion for nature, they realized the importance of
preserving unique places like Yosemite and the benefits it would have to
wildlife. Roosevelt was not afraid to use executive orders to preserve over 150
million acres of land. By the time his presidency was over, he established five
national parks, 18 national monuments (including Grand Canyon and Lassen, which
would become national parks), 51 bird reserves, and 150 national forests. He
also signed the Antiquities Act, allowing himself and future presidents to
create national monuments from federal lands.
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Picture Source-US Department of the Interior
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Today, President Roosevelt’s conservation legacy can be
found in the 230 million acres of land he helped establish, as well as six
national parks. Reading Roosevelt’s quotes, you can tell his passion for the
natural world. His desire to preserve the beautiful places of the west as what
they were, natural and untouched by man. However, perhaps his greatest
realization/contribution was the importance of preserving these places for
America’s future generations to see and enjoy.
“There is a
delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the
hidden spirit of the wilderness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and
its charm. The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets
which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in
value.”
Sources-1. Douglas
Brinkley, The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade
for America (2010) 2. "Theodore
Roosevelt the Rancher". Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.
National Park Service 3. National Park Service “Theodore Roosevelt and Conservation”
