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In the mid to late 19th century,
natural resources were heavily exploited, especially in the West. Land speculators
and developers took over large tracts of forests and grazing land. Acreage important to
waterpower was seized by private concerns. Mining companies practiced improper and
wasteful mining practices. Assuming a seemingly inexhaustible supply of natural resources,
Americans developed a "tradition of waste."
Alarmed by the public's attitude toward natural resources as well as the
exploitation of natural resources for private gain, conservationists called for federal
supervision of the nation's resources and the
preservation of those resources for future generations. In President Theodore Roosevelt,
the conservationists found a sympathetic ear and man of action. Conservation of the
nation's resources, putting an end to wasteful uses of raw
materials, and the reclamation of large areas of neglected land have been identified as
some of the major achievements of the Roosevelt era.
President Roosevelt's
concern for the environment was influenced by American naturalists, such as John Muir, and
by his own political appointees, including Gifford Pinchot, Chief of Forestry. Working in
concert with many individuals and organizations, the Roosevelt administration was
responsible for the following: the Newlands Act of 1902, which funded irrigation projects
from the proceeds of the sale of federal lands in the West; the appointment of the Inland
Waterways Commission in 1907 to study the relation of rivers, soil, forest, waterpower
development, and water transportation; and the National Conservation Commission of 1909,
which was charged with drawing up long-range plans for preserving national resources.
Along with a vocal group of
conservationists, the Roosevelt administration created an environmental conservation
movement whose words and actions continue to be heard and felt throughout the nation
today.
To find additional documents in
American Memory, use such words as conservation,
reclamation, natural resources, preservation, and Theodore
Roosevelt.
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