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Thomas Mathus predicted that exponential population growth would outspace linear food production, leading to starvation
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John Muir (born)
He was an advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. He founded the Sierra Club. -
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
it details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland near Concord, Massachusetts. -
Homestead Act
It gave an applicant ownership of land, typically called a "homestead", at little or no cost. It encouraged people to settle in the west. -
Yellowstone National Park founded
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American Forestry Association founded
It is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the United States. It advocates for the protection and expansion of forests. -
Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks founded
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General Revision Act
repealed the Timber Culture and Preemption Acts and authorized the President of the United States, under the Forest Reserve Act, to create forest preserves. -
Sierra Club founded
It's mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment. -
Lacey Act
protects both plants and wildlife by creating civil and criminal penalties for a wide array of violations. It prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, transported or sold. -
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Golden Age of Conservation (Theodore Roosevelt)
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First national wildlife refuge established
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U.S. Forest Service founded
an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands.It also includes the National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, and the Research and Development branch. -
Gifford Pinchot
He served as the first Chief of the United States Forest Service, was an American forester. He advocated the conservation of the nation's reserves by planned use and renewal. -
Aldo Leopold
influential in modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness conservation. He emphasized biodiversity and ecology and was a founder of the science of wildlife management. -
Audubon Society founded
goal is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. -
Antiquities Act
This law gives the President of the United States the authority to, by executive order, restrict the use of particular public land owned by the federal government. The Act has been used over a hundred times since its passage. -
Congress became upset because Roosevelt was waving so much forest land so they banned further withdrawls
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U.S. National Park Service founded
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Dust Bowl
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Civilian Conservation Corps founded
a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. -
Soil Conservation Service founded
an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and managers -
Taylor Grazing Act
goal was to stop injury to the public grazing lands [excluding Alaska] by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration. -
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act
an adhesive stamp is required by the United States federal government to hunt migratory waterfowl such as ducks and geese. it is a way to raise funds for wetland conservation -
Fish plus Wildlife Service founded
It is dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency reads as "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people." -
Jane Goodall
She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. She is an expert on chimpanzees. -
Silent Spring published by Rachel Carson
inspired public concern with pesticides and pollution of the environment.Facilitated the ban of the pesticide DDT for agricultural use in 1972 in the United States. -
Wilderness Act
It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres of federal land. -
Garret Hardin introduced the Tragedy of the Commons
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Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
this act was created to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations. -
Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, caught fire
One of the most polluted rivers in the US. At least 13 fires have occured, the largest fire caused over 1 million dollars in damages. The surface is covered with a brown oily film. -
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
this act requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes. -
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Richard Nixon
He emphasized the importance of environmental literacy. Signed the environmental education act. He said that our entire society must develop a new understanding and a new awareness of man's relation to his environment -
Environmental Protection Agency established Clean Air Act
1963- a law designed to control air pollution on a national level
1965- established funding for the study and the cleanup of air pollution
1970- . Established policies to prevent damage to the environment and to promote the health and welfare of humans
1977- authorized use of economic incentives to reduce noncompliance
1990-increased emphasis on more cost-effective approaches to reduce air pollution -
First Earth Day
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Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Control Act
1972- set up the basic U.S. system of pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, and the environment.
1975- required that the EPA Administrator consider the impacts of regulatory actions on production and prices of agricultural commodities
1978- provided clarification of State authority to regulate the sale or use of pesticides and stipulated that States have primary responsibility for violations
1988- prohibited EPA from canceling any pesticide registrations prior to September 1988 -
Endangered Species Act
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OPEC oil embargo
OPEC declared an oil embargo in response to the United States' and Western Europe's support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Caused a rise in gas prices and limits on how much gas could be dispensed. -
Sherwood Roland and Molina Announce that CFC's are depleting the ozone layer
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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
gives EPA the authority to control hazardous waste including the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. -
Clean Water Act
this act establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. -
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
This act is the primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the United States. -
Love Canal, NY and Lois Gibbs
the entire neighborhood Love Canal was built on top of a toxic waste dump.the families were eventually evacuated and the clean up of the community began. -
Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident
A partial nuclear reaction located in Pennsylvania. It was the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. It released small amounts of radioactive gases. -
Alaskan Lands Act
Provided more land for national parks and more land to the Wildlife Refuge System. -
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
1980- created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment.
1986- stressed the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites
1990- improved the nation's ability to prevent and respond to oil spills by establishing provisions that expand the federal government -
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Ronald Regan
He dismissed acid rain and proposals to halt it as burdensome to industry and wasteful government spending. He questioned to evidence on the causes of acid rain. -
Bhopal, India
Considered the world's worst industrial disaster. A gas leak, caused a toxic cloud to the surround towns. 2,300 immediatly died and another 8,000 died within two weeks. -
Chernobyl
A nuclear power plant located in the former Soviet Union, now Ukraine. 100 times the radiation fallout from the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Fence surrounds 1,000 square mile esclusion zone, the soil is still contaminated. Radiation poisoning and high risk of cancer in surrounding areas. -
Montreal Protocol
The UNheld a meeting in Montreal, Canada. The purpose was to address ozone depletion. Scale CFC production back 50% by 2000 for developed countries and by 2010 developing countries. -
World Population reaches 5 billion
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Exxon Valdez
A ship that spilled 11 million gallons of curde oil into Prince Edward Sound. The cost of this spill is estimated at $15 billion. -
Energy Policy Act of 1992
This actamended the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) and established several energy management goals, including water conservation -
Desert Protection Act
This act established the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve in the California desert. -
Julia Butterfly Hill sat in tree "Luna" for 700+ days to protest deforestation
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Period: to
Kyoto Protocol
An international agreement among the developed nations to curb greenhouse gas emissions. -
World population reaches 6 billion
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World Population reaches 7 billion
