Gaylord Nelson, Father of Earth Day - MINDS@UW Home

movement, exemplified by three men: Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, and Theodore
Roosevelt. 31
Pinchot was the founder of scientific forestry, and, according to Meine, he
best characterizes „utilitarian‟ conservation circa 1890. Pinchot believed in
principles of scientific management, and he advocated a “…resource
conservation ethic.” 32 According to Pinchot, forestry and logging that was not
based upon principles of proper management and conservation was inherently
wrong; as such it constituted “…epic wastefulness…” and “…rampant forest
exploitation…” 33 Meine says that Pinchot believed that “…nature was not to be
preserved, but actively manipulated by scientifically trained experts to improve
and sustain yields.” 34
Conversely, John Muir believed in the intrinsic value of the natural world.
He worked to preserve the integrity of the environment, and “…could cite the
benefits of forest cover in regulating water flows and protecting soils.” 35 Muir had
“…an abiding sense of the intrinsic beauty and worth of all things,” and, contrary
to Pinchot, said that human beings‟ hubris resulted in “…acts of desecration,”
resulting in “…plunder and waste.” 36 Thus whereas Pinchot embodied a
„utilitarian‟ conservationist ethic, Muir represented a conservation ethic that was
fundamentally „preservationist.‟
31 Curt Meine, 17.
32 Curt Meine, 18.
33 Curt Meine, 19.
34 Curt Meine, 19.
35 Curt Meine, 17-8.
36 Curt Meine, 18.
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