1. Environmental Reforms: Conservation & Preservation
The Progressive Era:
Environmental Reforms: Conservation & Preservation

2. Theodore Roosevelt & Conservation
1st president to take an active role in the American conservation movement
Ardent sportsman & naturalist
Concerned with exploitation of America’s natural resources & remaining wilderness
Theodore Roosevelt

3. Theodore Roosevelt & Conservation
Had a “romantic regard” for the wilderness and & west
Using his executive powers as president, he:
Restricted private development of millions of acres of underdeveloped land
Added most underdeveloped land in the west to the National Forest System
Seized many forests & water sites for conservation purposes
Theodore Roosevelt

4. 1st Chief of the Forest Service, 1905-1910
Gifford Pinchot
Appointed as the 1st Chief Forester of the U.S. by President Theodore Roosevelt
Supported rational & efficient human use of the wilderness
Believed trained experts in forestry & resource management needed to develop & manage the wilderness & national parks
Gifford Pinchot
1st Chief of the Forest Service,

5. Roosevelt sends federal aid to the West
Teddy Roosevelt’s natural resource policy won support in Congress
National Reclamation Act (Newlands Act)
Provided federal funds for the construction of dams, reservoirs, and canals in the West.
Projects provided cheap source of electric power
Opened new lands for cultivation
Provided critical aid for irrigation & power development in western states
Bureau of Reclamation established
It took about 20 years before positive effects of the Newlands Act took hold

6. Theodore Roosevelt & Preservation
Believed in protecting natural beauty of the land & health of its wildlife from human intrusion
Championed the expansion of the National Forest System as a means to protect forests from excess lumbering

7. Antiquities Act of 1906 Roosevelt proclaimed 18 national monuments.
It also established:
5 national parks
51 wildlife refuges
150 national forests
Theodore Roosevelt

8. Expansion of the National Park System
Purpose of the National Park System:
To protect the land from exploitation or development

9. Federal Lands & Indian Reservations in the United States

10. National Parks in the United States & its Territories

11. The National Park Service National Parks Created by the T
The National Park Service National Parks Created by the T. Roosevelt Administration
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone, Wyoming
Yosemite National Park
California
Yellowstone National Park was the first national park created by Congress in 1872; located in Yellowstone, YW
1890s: Yosemite & Sequoia National Parks established in California
Theodore Roosevelt added the following National Parks during his presidency:
1. Mount Rainer National Park
Sequoia National Park
California
Mount Rainer National Park
Washington State

12. The National Park Service National Parks Created by the T
The National Park Service National Parks Created by the T. Roosevelt Administration
Crater Lake National Park
Oregon
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde, Colorado
Theodore Roosevelt added the following National Parks during his presidency:
Crater Lake National Park in Oregon
Mesa Verde National Park in Utah
Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota
Platte National Park in Oklahoma, renamed the Chicksaw National Recreation Area
Chicksaw National Recreation Area
Oklahoma (Formerly Platte National Park)
Wind Cave National Park
South Dakota

13. Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park was set aside in 1864 by Abraham Lincoln in order to allow the public to enjoy Yosemite Valley's high waterfalls, deep cliffs, open meadows, and oak woodlands as well as the Mariposa Grove's massive and ancient giant sequoias. When it became a national park in 1890, it was expanded to include Tuolumne Meadows and the high country.
Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park

14. Yosemite National Park

15. Yosemite National Park

16. Sequoia National Park

17. Sequoia National Park

18. Mesa Verde National Park

19. Theodore Roosevelt & John Muir
1903—Muir & Roosevelt spent 9 days in the Sierras at Yosemite National Park
Both forged a bond formed mutual respect for one another
Muir convinced Roosevelt to expand national parks & forests as well as increase the acreage of Yosemite National Park
Though an all, Roosevelt, who was in favor of economic development, not always a reliable ally of Muir (i.e. The Hetch Hetchy Controversy)
President Theodore Roosevelt (left) and John Muir had long talks about conservation while camping together at Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, Roosevelt galvanized Progressive conservation and Muir galvanized the preservation movement. Their meeting of the minds symbolizes the environmental leadership the 21st century will increasingly ask of the National Park Service. (Library of Congress photo).
Theodore Roosevelt (left)
& John Muir (right) at Yosemite
National Park

20. Founder of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club founded on May 28 with 182 charter members.
John Muir elected first President.
In its first conservation campaign, Club leads effort to defeat a proposed reduction in the boundaries of Yosemite National Park (Hetch Hetchy Dam Project).
John Muir
Founder of the Sierra Club

21. The Sierra Club Mission Statement
1.Explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth.
2.Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources.
3.Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.
4.Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

22. The Hetch Hetchy Controversey
Hetch Hetchy Valley located in Yosemite National Park
Hetch Hetchy—local Indian term meaning “grassy meadows”
High-walled valley popular with naturalists, such as the Sierra Club

23. Hetch Hetchy Valley

24. The Hetch Hetchy Controversey
Issue: Water Shortage in San Francisco
Residents worried about finding enough water to serve growing population
They saw Hetch Hetchy as an ideal place for a dam—which would create an a large reservoir for the city
Muir, Sierra Club, & the naturalists oppose the plan to build a dam & reservoir

25. The Hetch Hetchy Controversy
1906—San Francisco suffered devastating earthquake & fire
Widespread sympathy for the city strengthened case for building the dam
Teddy Roosevelt sympathized with San Francisco
Originally opposed the plan, but later decided that building a dam was a practical solution to the water shortage & would benefit society as a whole
Turned decision over to Gifford Pinchot, who ordered the dam’s construction

26. The Hetch Hetchy Controversy
John Muir staunchly opposed the construction of the Hetch Hetchy Dam
In 1908—the construction of the dam was brought to a public vote (referendum)
Muir hoped the public would oppose the plan
However, residents of San Francisco overwhelmingly approved construction of the dam
Defeat helped mobilize a new coalition of people committed to the preservation of wilderness lands and made it clear that casual exploitation of natural wonders would no longer be opposed

27. The Hetch Hetchy Dam & Reservoir
Hetch Hetchy's O'Shaughnessy Dam (completed 1923; enl. 1938) turned the valley into a lake 9 mi (14 km) long, which is used for generating power and for supplying water to San Francisco by an aqueduct 156 mi (251 km) long.

28. Hetch Hetchy Dam

29. Reviewing Environmental Reforms
Why were environmental reforms, conservation & preservation, important to the American people during the Progressive Era?
In your opinion, were environmental reforms during the Progressive Era a success or failure? Explain your answer.
What was impact did Environmental Reforms during the Progressive Era have on future generations?

30. The Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt’s Conservation & Preservation Efforts
The North Dakota badlands provides the scenic backdrop to the park which memorializes the 26th president for his enduring contributions to the conservation of our nation's resources.
The area was first established as a Memorial Park in 1947.
It gained National Park status in 1978.
The Little Missouri River has shaped this 70,448-acre park which is home to a variety of plants and animals.