history of environmental movement in the u.s.. the first people of north america (25k years ago)...

History of Environmental Movement in the U.S.

The first people of North America (25K years ago)

• Native American peoples

• mostly hunters/gatherers

• little mass agriculture kept population in check

• culture had great respect for nature

Exploitation Years (1620-1900)

• First colonists brought with them 3 symbolic items:

• axe

• plow

• gun

• Manifest Destiny: westward expansion, resource exploitation was God’s will.

Exploitation Years

• Myth of superabundance

• Examples:

• wildlife resources- buffalo

• forests- Wisconsin

• prairies- Cattle Barons, Sod Busters

Early Leaders in Conservation

• Henry David Thoreau- Walden Pond, called for “preservation” of environment

• George Perkins Marsh- Man and Nature, called for “conservation” of environment.

• John Wesley Powell- Grand Canyon

• Creation of Yellowstone Park (1872)

Conservation Years

1900-WWII

Early Leaders in Conservation

• John Muir- president of Sierra Club. 1st private conservation organization.

• Gifford Pinchot- 1st chief forester. Brought scientific forestry to practice.

• Teddy Roosevelt (1901-1909)- avid outdoorsman, hunter, 1st president to call for conservation of the environment.

FDR, The “New Deal”, and Conservation Initiatives

• Tennessee Valley Autority (TVA)- dams and other power services

• Soil Conservation Service

• Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)- many conservation projects, put thousands of unemployed men to work

• Eastern National Forests Created

The Environmental Era

(1950-present)

Aldo Leopold

• Park Service employee

• Professor of Forestry at UW- Madison

• Wrote “A Sand County Almanac”

• Developed an “Environmental Ethic”• “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.

When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

The 1960’s

• Racism and Civil Rights

• Santa Barbara Oil Spill

• Cuyahoga River burns for 3 days

• Space flight, our 1st pictures of a finite Earth

Significant Environmental Legislation

• Wilderness Act (1964)- permanent preservation of designated wild lands

• Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968)

• National Environmental Policy Act (1969)- created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• The Clean Air Act (1970)- greatly expanded protection of air

Significant Environmental Legislation

• The Clean Water Act (1972)- protection of all surface water in US

• Endangered Species Act (1973)- identify and protect endangered species

• Superfund (1980)- established rules for disposal of hazardous waste, punishment for illegal dumping

Permanent Protection for the Environment

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)

• handouts