What are NR’s?

• Tangible substance

• Function or use

What is an environment?

• A collection of NR’s in a defined area

What is a Ecosystem

• All of the ecological processes in a n environment

What is wilderness?

• Theoretically an undisturbed environment

• Big “W”

• Little “w”

U. S. History and the Environment

• Growth of the U.S.

• Traditional view of NRs

• 1890 closing of the frontier

• Conservation and population

Modern View of the Environment

• Technology

• Wilderness

• Product of civilization

• 3rd world

European View of Wilderness

• European landscape of the 1600s

• Perception of wilderness

• Basis of bias

- Religion

- Superstition and folklore

Settlers View of the NA Wilderness

• Paradise Myth

• Reality

• Not prepared to live “with” the env.

Settlers’ Bias on the Frontier

• Safety

• Effect of wilderness

• Doing God’s work – Manifest Destiny

• Wilderness = waste

Romanticism

• Late 1700s – mid 1800s

• Urban, educated, wealthy

• Writers and artists

• Coincides with the growth of sciences

• Enthusiasm for wild places

Romanticism

• Sublimity

• Awe

• Deism

• Great watchmaker theory

• Primitivism

• The noble savage

Start of the American Environmental Movement

• Europe = history, cities, culture

• U.S. = Wilderness, NRs

• American wilderness = American character

• Manifest Destiny

Hudson River School

• American wild landscape as inspiration

• Thomas Cole

• First American art form

• View of American artist, writer, etc

Henry David Thoreau

• 1817 – 1862

• “In wilderness is the preservation of man” 1851

• Philosopher

• Emerson

Transcendentalism

• 2 levels of reality

• Lower material object world

• Higher spiritual truth world

• Natural objects reflected spiritual truth if seen correctly

• Must use imagination and intuition as opposed to rational understanding

Thoreau’s Life

• Early wilderness is best

• Walden Pond

• Trip to Maine

• Later life philosophy – 1 foot in 1 foot out

• Value of civilization

• Value of wilderness for people - anthropocentric

Call for Preservation

• By mid 1800s regret loss of wilderness

• References to environmental destruction

• Harmonic theory

• Tragedy of the commons

• Changes in ownership and control of NRs

• Hot Springs AR, Niagara Falls

-Economic value – not environmental values

Yellowstone

• First reports of the region

• 1870 expedition

• 1871 expedition

• Northern Pacific Railroad

• 1872 Yellowstone Park Act

• 1886 railroad debate

Adirondack Park

• Location/topography/climate/exploration

• Impact of timbering

• Commerce

• Wealthy sportsmen

Adirondack Park

• 1885 Forest Preserve

• 1892 Adirondack Park

• 1894 Forever Wild clause

• Today

The Conservation Movement1890 -1970

• Closing of the frontier 1890

• Extend use of the remaining NRs

• > population, urbanization, industrialization

• American Culture and identity

• Progressive movement

The Progressive Movement1900 - 1920

• Governments responsibility

• Justice and order

• Counter monopolies

John Muir1838 - 1914

• Wilderness protection and “preservation”

• Value of nature for nature

• Popular writer and speaker

John Muir

• His life

• His philosophy – Preservation

• Comparison to Thoreau

• His impact

Gifford Pinchot1865 - 1946

• His life

• His philosophy – conservation

• His impact

Theodore Roosevelt1858 - 1919

• His life

• His philosophy – Nationalism

• His impact

Conservation versus Preservation

• Muir & Pinchot

• Influence on Roosevelt

• Forest Reserve Act of 1891

• Forest Management Act of 1897

• The future

Changing View of Nature

• Joe Knowles story

• Why the change– No longer a need to “battle” nature– Visit nature for leisure– City view of pioneer qualities– Declining state of city environment

Changing Perception of American Culture

• Impact of immigration

• Business values and city life

• Growth of government and industry versus the individual

Response to Changing Perception

• Fredrick Jackson Turner 1896

• Robert Baden Powell 1907

• Theodore Roosevelt 1893, 1903

• William Kent @1908

• Result

Hetch Hetchy

• 1882 – 1913

• The issue

• Pinchot, Muir, Roosevelt

• Public opinion

• 1909 vote

Hetch Hetchy

• Conservationist view of recreation

• Preservationist response

• Progressive view

• William Kent

• 1913 vote

• Result

Conservation to Environmentalism

• 1921 – 1970

• Focus on management of NR interrelationships and processes

• Federal government leadership

• $ and planning

• Large regional projects ex. TVA, CCC, AT

Conservation to Environmentalism

• Goals (by end of 1960s)

- protect environmental quality

- maintain physical base of all life

- manage for non-material values

* recreation

* scenery

* solitude

Aldo Leopold 1886 - 1948

• Early life

• Forest Service years

• Gila NF 1924

• L-20 regulations 1929

Leopold’s Benefits of Wilderness

• Cultural heritage

• The remnant

• Primitive forms of recreation

• Large wildlife habitat

• For science

Leopold’s Land Ethic

• A Sand County Almanac 1949

• Enlarges the boundary

• Changes the role

• Value > than economic self interest

• Ethical behavior

Bob Marshall1901 - 1939

• His life

• Ideas – action

• Forest Service

• U regulations

• Wilderness Society 1935

Marshall’s Benefits of Wilderness

• Health

• Self sufficiency

• Esthetic

• Mental

Echo Park Dam

• 1940s - 1955

• Colorado River Storage project plan

• Dinosaur National Monument

• Hetch Hetchy

• David Brower

• Howard Zahniser

• Outcome

Wilderness Act of 1964

• Role of Zahniser

• Zahniser’s reasons for protection

1. Take the offensive

2. Establish a national system

3. Move to legislative protection

• Outcome

Grand Canyon Dams

• Colorado River Storage project 1956

• Glen Canyon Dam 1963 – Lake Powell

• Impact on the environmental movement

• Lower Colorado River – 2 dams 1963

• Result = flood 40 mi. GCNM, 13 mi. GCNP

• GCNP act 1919

Grand Canyon Dams cont.

Grand Canyon Dams cont.

• David Brower

• IRS controversy

• No Hetch Hetchy mistakes

• No compromise

• H. Zahniser on progress

Grand Canyon Dams Results

• 1968 congress abandons project

• Political support vs. public opinion

• Illustrates the change from CM to EM

• Sierra club membership

• Wild and Scenic River act 1968

• Change from Hetch Hetchy

New Environmentalism 1970 - Present

• Wilderness being loved to death

• Reasons for this trend

- Technology change

- Transportation change

- Information growth

- Intellectual revolution

New Environmentalism cont.

• 1970 Earth Day

• Growth in Environmental laws

- NEPA 1970

• Modern view of wilderness

- Sigurd Olson

- John Milton

Changing Environmental Perception

• Howard Zahniser

• Spaceship earth

• Counter culture break from the mainstream

• Gary Snyder

• Eddy Abbey

Anthropcentrism

• Mainstream or modern environmentalism

• Shallow ecology

• Traditional type support groups

- Sierra Club 1892 – 600,000 members (passive) 2000

- Audubon Society 1905

- Wilderness Society 1936

Biocentricism

• New or ecocentric environmentalism• Deep ecology• Direct Action support groups

- Friends of Earth 1969

- Green Peace 1969

- Earth First! 1981 – 12,000 members (active) 1988

- Earth Liberation Front (ELF) ?

Deep vs Shallow Ecology

Shallow Ecology- Dominance over nature- Env. = resources for humans- Ample NRs reserves- Material, economic, consumer growth- Solutions to env. Problems in science and

technology- National centralized focus

Deep vs Shallow Ecology

Deep Ecology- Harmony with nature- All nature has intrinsic equal worth- Simple material need (self realization)- NRs are limited- Suspicion of science and technology- Focus on traditional culture and bioregionalism

Reasons for the the split of ME & NE

• MEs are reformist working within the system

• MEs are anthropocentric

• MEs are alienated from grass root idealism

• MEs are more interested in compromise than in change

Alaska

• Environment

• Technology

• Native people

- ANCSA 1971

• Wilderness

Rampart Dam -1959

• Corp of Engineers – Yukon River

• 1 billion $

• World largest human created lake

• Would not affect a NP

• Alaska env. View vs U.S. env. View

• Dam project stopped in 1967

ANILCA 1980

• 99% of AK public (federal) land

• ANCSA deadline 12/18 1978

• Carter 12/1/78 – Antiquities Act – 110 mil. Acres

• Carter/Reagan debate

• Congress/Carter pass/sign act 12/80

• Reagon takes office 1/81

ANILCA 1980 cont.

• Results

- Revoked 1978 executive order

- 105 mil. Acres to state of AK

- 44 mil. Acres to native people

- 104 mil. Acres federal land (28% of AK = CA)

ANILCA 1980 cont.

• Federal allocation- 56.7 mil. Acres – NWPS- 26 additions to the NWSRS- Doubled the size of NPS lands- Doubled the size of USFWS wildlife refuges lands

• Most expansive action on behalf of wild by any president

Alaska in Perspective

• 1/3 AK “Big W”

• Less restrictive view of wild

• A permanent frontier: Nash, Leopold, Marshall, Turner

• A legacy of wild for future generations: Thoreau, Muir, Olmstead

Alaska in Perspective cont.

• Protect wild and native culture: Catlin

• Protect entire ecosystems: Marsh, Leopold

• AK represents a change in American perspective towards wilderness

Environmental Movement since 1980

• > Concern for global env.

• > Growth in deep ecology

• >Growth in conservative backlash

Reagan/Bush sr. 1980-92

• Reaganomics

- LWCF

• James Watt

• Sagebrush rebellion 1980s

• Wise Use movement 1990s

Sagebrush/Wise Use Movements

• < env. rules and regs.

• < fed. land holding

• < env. quality in business and private property decisions

• > personal rights over env. Rights

Sagebrush/Wise Use Movements

• Supported by timber, mining, energy, chemical and rec. industries

• Misinformation, lobbying, intimidation

• Tie to Pinchot conservation

Result of Conservative Backlash

• Congress

• Public

• G. Bush sr.

George Bush Sr.1988-1992

• Earth Summit (Rio Conference) 1992

• Biodiversity treaty

Sustainability

• Basic idea

• Examples

• Bioregionalism

• Public perception vs action

The Clinton Years 1993-2001

• Campaign promise

• Al Gore – Earth in Balance 1992

• Rio conference

• Economic growth top priority

Clinton Years cont.

• NW old growth forest

• Grazing fees

• Kyoto treaty 1997

• Conservation and Reinvestment Act

Clinton Years cont.

• National Monuments

• Forest Service roadless areas

• Clinton’s environmental legacy

Clinton Legacy of Protected Lands

• Carter = 56 million acres

• Clinton = 6 million acres

• FDR = 2.6 million acres

• Hoover = 2.1 million acres

• T. Roosevelt = 1.5 million acres

• Reagan & G.W. Bush = 0 acres

2001 Public Perception

• Growing Public Apathy

• Cost of federal pollution regulations

• Loss of public support

• Public environmental perception

George Bush 2000-2004

• 1997 Kyoto Treaty

• Roadless areas NFS

• Clinton National Monuments

• ATVs in NPS

• Artic National Wildlife refuge

George Bush 2000 - 2004 cont.

• Healthy Forest Restoration Act 2003

• Clear Skies - Change Clean Air regulations - Set cap let industry decide how to meet it

George Bush 2000-2004 cont.

• New Source Review

- New regulations to clean up old polluting power plants

2002 Public Perception

• National Env. Trust – worst env. President since the first earth day

• League of conservation voters = D-

• EPA ombudsman (watchdog) & chief of civil enforcement resign

2002 Public Perception cont.

• 36% trust Bush to protect the env.

• 43% env. laws should go farther than they do

• 62% favor protect of wild areas – even if it means higher gas prices

George Bush 2004-Present

* Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument 2006

* National Parks Centennial Initiative 2007

George Bush 2004-Present

• Sell U.S. Forest Service land

• < Intra-coastal waterway, inlets, and beach re-nurishment funding

• Pocosin NWR/ U.S. Navy landing strip

2006 Public Perception

• 67% of Americans rate Bush’s handling of environmental issues as “Fair” or “Poor”

Future

> Lack of public commitment 2005

- 8 out of 10 support stronger env. Protection

- Last out of 9 issues affecting how people vote

> 2008 elections ?