Conservation vs Preservation

The environmentalist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries presents a picture of America at the time: torn between the desires to expand while seeking to protect nature. Although all members of the movement sought to protect nature, there were two predominant schools as to how to go about this. In their two philosophies, they created two methods for human interaction with the wilderness. The conservationist movement can be called the utilitarian movement, and sought the greatest good for the greatest number over the longest term. In contrast, the preservationist school aimed at keeping nature in its current state, although the

The boundaries between maintenance and the expansion of humanity should be known clearly by everyone, because nature is so unpredictable yet fragile that we should not be continuing to develop and expand blindly. One individual who shares such sentiment is Michael Pollan, in his book “The Idea of a Garden” he talked about a massive tornado which devastated a familiar forest of pines in New England. In the aftermath of this natural disaster, there was a debate about how they were going to clean up such a mess. Two solutions were provided, the first was to let nature as it is and not bother to replace anything that was lost. The second solution was make a huge overhaul, and cut down everything in the forest in order to plant new trees, as a result their descendants can enjoy the radiance that once was. The common theme was that

Stegner wants to conserve the untouched land because he fears a world with no silence. He argues for the preservation of Robbers’ Roost country, as an example, “It is a lovely and terrible wilderness, such as wilderness as Christ and the prophets went out into… Save a piece of country like that intact, and it does not matter in the slightest that only a few people every year will go into it. That is precisely its value (Stegner, Wilderness Letter).” Saving the untouched lands, he contends, is a reminder of how uncontrolled the Earth is and how timeless it remains. Others disagree with this viewpoint, one of those people being American forester, Gifford Pinchot. In his writing “The Fight for Conservation,” Pinchot argues that conservation

People have seriously affected the land. We utilize it to develop harvests to sustain our developing populace. We additionally utilize it to give vitality. Every year one individual in North America utilizes assets equivalent to more than 12 sections

One of America’s greatest conservation achievements is the Wilderness Act of 1964. Fifty-two years later, this act has a legacy to withhold. A legacy that meant something in 1964 and remains the same today: to protect unspoiled land. Even though, through this act millions of acres have been conserved, the key word is continue. That is why America should pass laws to preserve the wilderness before developers spoil them.

The book “Changes in the Land” by William Cronon in summary is based on environmental history where science, social science, the way society affects human nature and vice-versa is all combined into his narrative. With that being said, he believed that humans are dependent on nature, and nature is something that’s either made or broken by humans. Same goes for vegetation and land area. He wrote about conflicts between two cultures, where when the settlers came in to New England, they took over the Native American’s home. The power the settlers had over the Native Americans grew so strong that it got to a point where the rule of usufruct was put in place, where Native Americans could make use of any natural resource on earth as long as it wasn’t being needed by another person.

I care deeply about the planet Earth, the home humans originate from, so it pains me to watch “modern” society devastate natural life across the board. I feel personally connected to the issue of how we use our land. Having lived in the Lee County area since birth, I have noticed just in our own little part of the world how much “development” can change things. There used to be so much more plant life: trees, grasses, flowers and a myriad of other greenery. What was once considered “empty” lots, by some, have been adapted to suit human desires be it additional roads, restaurants, shopping malls, and a continuing spread of “chain” corporate industries. Beyond human structures, huge amounts of land also are cultivated for industrial farming

The preservation ethic hold that we should protect our environment in a pristine, unaltered state whereas the conservation ethic people should put natural resources to use but that we have a responsibility to manage them wisely. John Muir argued that nature deserved protection for its own inherent value, but he also maintained that nature

“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise,” said by none other, Aldo Leopold. In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold, an American environmentalist, brought a new idea to the environmentalist’s table: “land ethic.” His idea of a land ethic is a moral responsibility of humans to the natural Earth. Leopold’s idea has been discussed since the publication by a wide variety of people, from the public to scholars. Since

This is something that we have attempted to change over time, but have not stopped. Theodore Roosevelt called for Americans to consider conservation of the environment, but focused on the conservation of resources over the conservation of ecosystems and indigenous species. (as cited in Merchant, 2012, pp. 333-334). This type of logical use conservation is typical in American history. We have had a strong history of avid hunters supporting the conservation of animals so that their species would remain available to sportsmen. One example of this is John James Audubon. Audubon was an avid hunter. He killed birds in mass numbers in his research in Florida (as cited in Merchant, 2012, pp.178-180). However the famous Audubon Society is the organization responsible for hiring and paying Guy Bradley, the first game warden in the Florida everglades (McIver, 2003). Hunters have an interest in preserving the species they desire to hunt, and in this desire they require natural ecosystems be protected. This protection of the ecosystem ensures that their valued game stays available for hunting. However, women were at the forefront of the conservation movement in many states. Carolyn Merchant describes women’s groups across the country protecting different facets of the environment. One example was the Audubon movement created in opposition to the plume industry. These movements helped create legislation that helped protect some plume birds as early as 1913. (Merchant, 2012, pp.355-363). Eventually the land that was being conserved for eventual use were slowly being transformed into protected parks that are intended to preserve the scenery and its plant and animal inhabitants for the future. The National Parks Act of 1916 was the first to establish large national parks in the United States (as cited in Merchant, 2012, pp.371-372).

Leopold expresses, “a system of conservation based solely on economic self-interest is hopelessly lopesided,” (p. 251). The self-interest economists who are only interested in the profit of which they gain from the land cannot spread the importance of the respect for the community. The people who share a knowledge and passion for the environment will educate those who are unaware. As well as being educated on the land, it is essential for humanity to understand that we are not users of what Earth has to offer us, but associates,

All around the world we have National Parks that are protected areas by the government. John Muir was enraptured by it and Ansell Adame immortalized it, while Teddy Roosevelt created the National Park Service to protect these National Parks. These nationals parks are very important to keep for the environment, we all need to work together to keep these parks as nature as possible.

During his time, Aldo Leopold was a conservationist who believed in the longevity of the land and that we should protect it, even if we must protect the land from ourselves. While this was an unpopular opinion, realizing that the land and animals naturally work together in a symbiotic relationship to protect one another was very apparent to Leopold. He believed that humans should be doing our best to lessen our impact on the environment. Time has caught up with Leopold’s ideologies and it is time that our efforts and contributions to the earth did too.

Our nations incredible 401 National Parks are some of the most iconic places on the face of the earth. From the Grand Canyon to the Great Smoky Mountains our nation's national parks are something we should be proud to have. Lately our National Parks have been under threat from both Environmental and Political issues both putting our National Parks at risk. We need preserve the National Parks for generations to come. The National Parks show the most amazing parts of this great nation, they are the source of billions of dollars in revenue, and they are the home to countless forms of wildlife.

All of these are reasons I think that the Bridger -Teton National Forest resources can be conserved. It will provide help for all of us as well as maintain its wildlife and scenic vistas.