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

species…There is…a fundamental unity of purpose and method
between bird lovers and sportsmen. Their common task of
teaching the public how to modify economic activities for
conservation purposes is of infinitely greater importance, and
difficulty, than their current differences of opinion over details of
legislative and administrative policy. Unless and until the common
task is accomplished, the detailed manipulation of laws is in the
long run irrelevant. 40
Aldo Leopold
In 1913, John Muir and other „preservationists‟ lost their battle to protect
Hetch Hetchy, and their loss embodied the overwhelming belief on the part of
most Americans that proper conservationists focused on efficiency and scientific
management of natural resources which was made manifest in the Progressive
movement.
According to Meine, when Theodore Roosevelt and Robert LaFollette both
took office in 1901, “…the Progressive tradition…” constituted a “…revolution…”
of sorts, and thus solidified the hold that utilitarians had on the American
conservation movement. 41 So, though Roosevelt did at times align himself with
Muir and other preservationists, more often than not he was motivated by
practical concerns. Thus, his “revolution,” as such, formally “…challenged the
assumption that had dominated national development for generations: that the
American land was a mere storehouse of inexhaustible resources, existing solely
for the indulgence of the present generation of its most privileged species.” 42
40 Curt Meine, 98.
41 Curt Meine, 45.
42 Curt Meine, 46.
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