Visualizing Environmental Science

Summary 69

Summary

1

Conservation and Preservation

of Resources 50

1. Conservation is the sensible and careful management of
   natural resources, such as air, water, soil, forests, minerals,
   and wildlife. Preservation involves setting aside undisturbed
   areas, maintaining them in a pristine state, and protecting
   them from human activities.

✓✓THE PLANNER

USDA/NG Image Collection

2

Environmental History 51

1. The first two centuries of U.S. history were a time of
   widespread environmental destruction. During the 1700s
   and early 1800s, most Americans had a desire to conquer
   and exploit nature as quickly as possible. During the 19th
   century, many U.S. naturalists became concerned about
   conserving natural resources. The earliest conservation
   legislation revolved around protecting land—forests, parks,
   and monuments. By the late 20th century, environmental
   awareness had become a pervasive popular movement.


2. John James Audubon’s art aroused widespread interest in
   the wildlife of North America. Henry David Thoreau wrote
   about living in harmony with the natural world. George
   Perkins Marsh wrote about humans as agents of global
   environmental change. Theodore Roosevelt appointed
   Gifford Pinchot as the first head of the U.S. Forest Service.
   Pinchot supported expanding the nation’s forest reserves
   and managing forests scientifically. The Yosemite and
   Sequoia national parks were established largely in response
   to the efforts of naturalist John Muir. Franklin Roosevelt
   established the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Soil
   Conservation Service. In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo
   Leopold wrote about humanity’s relationship with nature.
   Wallace Stegner helped create support for the passage of

the Wilderness Act of 1964. Rachel Carson published Silent

Spring, alerting the public about the dangers of uncontrolled

pesticide use. Paul Ehrlich published The Population

Bomb, which raised the public’s awareness of the dangers

of overpopulation. Julian Simon, taking an economist’s

perspective, challenged Ehrlich’s concerns about growth.

Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004

for demonstrating that social, economic, and environmental

well-being can be improved simultaneously.

3. A utilitarian conservationist is a person who values natural
   resources because of their usefulness to humans but uses
   them sensibly and carefully. A biocentric preservationist is a
   person who believes in protecting nature because all forms of
   life deserve respect and consideration.


4. A systems perspective considers not just immediate or
   intended effects of activities, but all of the impacts of those
   activities in other places or at other times. Finding pesticides
   sprayed on farms in the central United States in animals at
   the north and south poles demonstrates the importance of a
   systems perspective.

Todd Gipstein/NG Image Collection

3

Environmental Legislation 59

1. Since 1970 the federal government has addressed many
   environmental problems. The National Environmental
   Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970 established the Council on
   Environmental Quality to monitor required environmental
   impact statements (EISs) and report directly to the
   president.


2. By requiring EISs that are open to public scrutiny, NEPA
   initiated serious environmental protection in the United
   States. NEPA allows citizen suits, in which private citizens take
   violators, whether they are private industries or government-
   owned facilities, to court for noncompliance.