Environmental History 53Controversy over preservation battles, such as the
Hetch Hetchy Valley conflict, generated a strong senti-
ment that the nation should better protect its national
parks (Figure 3.4). In 1916 Congress created the National
Park Service to manage the national parks and
monuments for the enjoyment of the public,
“without impairment.” It was this clause that
gave a different outcome to another battle,
fought in the 1950s between conservationists
and dam builders over the construction of a
dam within Dinosaur National Monument.
Preservationists convinced decision makers
that to fill the canyon with 400 feet of wateremigrated from Scotland with his family, was a biocentric
preservationist. Muir also founded the Sierra Club, a na-
tional conservation organization that is still active on a
range of environmental issues.
In 1906 Congress passed the Antiqui-
ties Act, which authorized the president to
set aside sites that had scientific, historic, or
prehistoric importance. By 1916 there were 16
national parks and 21 national monuments,
under the loose management of the U.S.
Army. Today there are 58 national parks and
74 national monuments under the manage-
ment of the National Park Service.biocentric
preservationist
A person who
believes in protecting
nature from human
interference because
all forms of life
deserve respect and
consideration.iÌV
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Some environmental battles involving the protection of national parks were lost.
John Muir’s Sierra Club fought with the city of San Francisco over its efforts to
dam a river and form a reservoir in the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Valley, which lay
within Yosemite National Park. In 1913 Congress approved the dam. The State of
California is considering restoring Hetch Hetchy, at an estimated cost as high as
$10 billion. Hetch Hetchy Valley before (a) and after (b) the dam was built.Courtesy National ArchivesJoanne Hoyoung Lee/
KRT/NewsComba