Changes

The '''Conservationists''', led by President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] and his close ally [[Gifford Pinchot]], said that was too wasteful and inefficient. In any case, they noted, most of the natural resources in the western states were already owned by the federal government.  The best course of action, they argued, was a long-term plan devised by national experts to maximize the long-term economic benefits of natural resources.   

The '''Conservationists''', led by President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] and his close ally [[Gifford Pinchot]], said that was too wasteful and inefficient. In any case, they noted, most of the natural resources in the western states were already owned by the federal government.  The best course of action, they argued, was a long-term plan devised by national experts to maximize the long-term economic benefits of natural resources.   

'''Environmentalism''' was the third position, led by the Sierra Club and , held that nature was almost sacred, and that man was an intruder. It allowed for limited tourism (such as hiking), but opposed automobiles in national parks. It strenuously opposed timber cutting on most public lands, and vehemently denounced the dams that Roosevelt supported for water supplies, electricity and flood control. Especially controversial was the Hetch Hetchy dam in Yosemite National park, which Roosevelt approved, and which supplies the water supply of San Francisco.  To this day the [[Sierra Club]] and its allies want to dynamite Hetch Hetchy and restore it to nature.

'''Environmentalism''' was the third position, led by [[John Muir]] (1838-1914). Muir's passion for nature made him the most influential American environmentalist. Muir preached that nature was sacred and humans are intruders who should look but not develop. He founded the Sierra Club and remains an icon of liberalism. He was primarily responsible for defining the environmentalist position, in the debate between Conservation and environmentalism.

 

Environmentalism preached that nature was almost sacred, and that man was an intruder. It allowed for limited tourism (such as hiking), but opposed automobiles in national parks. It strenuously opposed timber cutting on most public lands, and vehemently denounced the dams that Roosevelt supported for water supplies, electricity and flood control. Especially controversial was the Hetch Hetchy dam in Yosemite National park, which Roosevelt approved, and which supplies the water supply of San Francisco.  To this day the [[Sierra Club]] and its allies want to dynamite Hetch Hetchy and restore it to nature.

In the 1930s, the dominant view was the conservationism of Theodore Roosevelt, endorsed by Democrat [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], that led to the building of many large-scale dams and water projects, as well as the expansion of the National Forest System to buy out sub-marginal farms.

In the 1930s, the dominant view was the conservationism of Theodore Roosevelt, endorsed by Democrat [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], that led to the building of many large-scale dams and water projects, as well as the expansion of the National Forest System to buy out sub-marginal farms.