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Hunting in the 1600’s
In the 1600's, people were extremely reliant on the meat of wild animals and fish for their food. The Native Americans were the main habitants of American soil at this time, and they showed the settlers how to make hunting tools with the limited resources available to them. The settlers were most impressed with the Indians tactic for fishing, in which they used nets to collect numerous fish at once. These hunting tactics have evolved into the modern forms of hunting and game we have today. -
Trees in the 1600’s
In the early 1700's, settlers began to leave England and sail to the American colonies. They found that one of the most abundant resources there was trees. The settlers took advantage of this abundance and used the trees to make ships, paper, and other goods to send back to England. The abundance of trees in America has allowed us to build a dependence upon wood and make it a large factor in our economy. We maintain our abundance by passing laws to regulate the industrial consumption of trees. -
Theodor Rosevelt
Theodor Rosevelt entered the Unites States presidency on October 27, 1858. He was known as a dedicated conservationist and during his presidency, he was able to set aside 200 million acres of land for national forests, reserves, and wildlife refuges. He was the first president to create a federal bird reserve and under his presidency, 51 more were established. Because of his dedicated work to conservation, people are able to enjoy the beauty of the great National Parks in America. -
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was a Philosopher, Journalist, and a Poet in the 1840's. He lived for two years, two months, and two days by Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. His purposes in doing this was so he could live a "deliberate" life and learn life's meaning. During his stay, he wrote a book called "Walden Pond" and his ideas of Naturalism inspired millions of people. His novel also encouraged nature conservation. I felt inspiration from reading his novel even today, nearly 200 years later. -
Yellow Stone
Yellowstone National Park is mainly located in WY and it is the first national park created in the world. Before it was an established reserve, Yellowstone was explored by geologist Ferdinand Hayden. Hayden took photos of his discoveries, which captivated the public eye; he helped contribute to the conservation of this land. The Yellowstone Act of 1872 set an example and brought forth the concept of preserving sections of land for the use of public parks. -
Arbor Day
Arbor day was created by Julius Sterling Morton, and the first ever celebration of this day was in Nebraska. Morton believed that planting trees would help improve the Nebraska landscape and economy and he set the example for everyone else by planting shade trees and orchards. On the First Arbor day, more than 1 million trees were planted. In the preceding years, other states and countries began to incorporate Arbor day in their customs. Now, on Arbor day, my family and I inspect our trees. -
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club was founded by nature conservationist John Muir. He created this club to engage in political action in order to fight for the preservation of parks such as Yosemite and the Grand Canyon; he inspired president Teddy Rosevelt to engage in conservation. The club was originally exclusive to CA, but since then has expanded. Today the club focuses on the cruelty of animals in the meat industry. This club influenced history by promoting the conservation of lands. -
Lacey Act
The Lacey Act was passed in the 1900's in order to ban the trafficking of illegal wildlife. This act prevents people from buying or selling any illegal plants or animals from countries outside the US and from within the boarders. The Lacey Act has helped protect the environment and the animals that live within it by preserving the ecosystem. -
Forest Service
The Forest Service is an agency of the U.S Agricultural Department that manages and protects 154 national forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. This agency was created under Theodore Roosevelt's presidency. Forest Service is charged with establishing forest reserves and sustaining them for present and future generations. Without this agency, we would not be able to fully experience the national parks we have today. -
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a series of dust storms that destroyed the ecology and agriculture of US prairies in the 1930's. Drought had struck these lands and destroyed the majority of the grassroots that anchored the soil; loose during wind storms, dirt was collected and formed huge, black clouds. These storms made the prairies uninhabitable and caused about 60% of farmers to evacuate. In response to this disaster, the government passed soil rehabilitation acts to promote the rehabilitation of farms. -
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act was passed in attempt to regulate the discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and set standards for the quality of surface waters. This act was passed because of growing public concern and awareness of water pollution. Because of this act, America has been able to drastically reduce pollutants that contaminate bodies of water. If this act did not exist today, I might have to wear a hazmat suit before entering a pond or a lake. -
Silent Spring
"Silent Spring" was a book written by Rachel Carson in which she informed a Senate subcommittee about the dangers of pesticides. This book almost immediately affected government policy, and in return almost every dangerous pesticide listed in the book was banned or severely restricted. If this book had not successfully ignited change in pesticide usage, we might still be facing the consequences of the toxins released in the environment and in our agriculture. -
Cuyahoga River Fire
The Cuyahoga River, located in Cleveland, OH, used to be the most polluted river in the United States. Although this river had caught fire several times before, the fire of 1969 was the most covered incident due of growing public concern of industrial sanitation. The pressure for pollution regulation urged Congress to resolve the waste issues across the US, and thus the NEPA was signed into law. If the fire had not received so much attention, we might still face this problem frequently today. -
National Environmental Policy Act
The NEPA was one of the first laws ever written that established a broad frame for protecting the nation's environment. It was signed in by Nixon and it was one of the numerous environmental bills signed in to action during the 1970's.The purpose of the NEPA is to encourage man and the wilderness to coexist, and to prevent damage to the environment and stimulate the health and welfare to people. Today, The NEPA still works to maintain this balance between man and nature. -
Earth Day
Earth Day is a world wide event in which countries hold numerous events to show their support of the environment. Gaylord Nelson, U.S senator of Wisconsin, gave birth due to inspiration he received form the anti-war movement. He was able to force environmental protection on the political agenda and thus, Earth Day was created. Each year on Earth Day, the people raise awareness for environmental concerns in their country. -
EPA
The EPA is a U.S federal government agency burdened with protecting human health and the environment by creating regulations based on laws passed by Congress. It was created under the Nixon administration because he felt it necessary. The EPA plays a large roll in regulating climate change in the US. One of their most recent cases settled was with Detroit Deisel Corp. due to their violation for selling uncertified diesel engines. -
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act is a federal law that regulates emissions from stationary and mobil sources. It was designed to protect human health and the environment from the effects of air pollution. This act has helped reduce smog, lead content in gasoline, acid rain, and many more problems. If we did not have the CAA today, America would be very polluted and our lands may be inhabitable. Because of this act, I can live in a safer, cleaner environment that is not tainted by pollution. -
Three-mile Island
Three Mile Island was an accidental nuclear plant melt down that happened in Dauphine county, Pennsylvania. Although the leak caused great anxiety for the government and the people, there was no sign of radiation poisoning in the animals and people of the surrounding area. Because of this leak, nuclear power plants are taking greater precautions and the government has passed more laws to help protect the people and the environment from potential radioactive disasters. -
Exxon Valdez
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska on Good Friday. The oil tanker had struck a reef which tore open the hull and released 11 million gallons of oil into the environment. This leak destroyed more than 1000 miles of coastline and hundreds and thousands of animals were killed. As a result, Exxon payed billions-and is still paying-of dollars for clean up expenses. The Alaskan beaches still remain polluted with oil buried inches below the surface. -
Fukushima, Japan
Preceding a major earthquake, a tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling system of the Fukushima Daiich nuclear plant reactors, which then caused all three cores to melt within three days. The leak cause a radioactive contamination of the surrounding land and hundreds and thousands of people were forced to evacuate from their homes. The Fukushima disaster is the largest discharge of radioactive material into the ocean ever, and it has cost the Japanese economy $250-$500 billion in loss. -
Thomas Malthus
Thomas Malthus was a British scholar and minister of the late 19th century. Malthus observed the growing population with concern, and tried to find a natural law in order to explain the poverty of the world. He discovered that the result of poverty was that a population grows faster that the supply of food available for its needs. His theory was called the Malthusian Crisis. His ideology is still applicable today, and is used in attempt to prevent famine in nations.