One of President Roosevelt's most lasting and important
contributions was the permanent preservation of the some of the most unique natural resources of the United States. The area of the United States placed under public protectionby him, were National Parks, National Forests, game and bird preserves, and other federal reservations. Some examples are Yosemite National Park (CA), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (ND), Boundary Waters Canoe Area (MN)
The forest reserves of the United States went from approximately 43,000,000 acres to about 194,000,000 acres under TR. This represents an increase of over 400%. The area of forest reserves established by Roosevelt is equal in acreage to all the states on the Atlantic coast from Maine to Virginia plus the states of Vermont, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. This is a greater area than France, Belgium, and The Netherlands combined.
www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/conNatlForests.htm
“It had long been believed in the United States that the supply of new lands and natural
resources was unlimited. In 1890, however, the Director of the Census announced
that a western frontier no longer existed. The last remaining reserved area, the
Oklahoma Territory, had been opened for settlement in the previous year. Other
remaining unoccupied lands were largely either arid or mountainous. A bitter debate followed—and continues today—between those who argued that America should exploit its resources to the fullest for as long as they last and those who favored conservation as a means to sustain supply over a longer time and preserve natural beauty. By the turn of the century, several things were evident: Forests throughout the country were depleted; some estimates indicated that only about 20 percent of the original woodlands remained in 1900. Much of the nation’s farmland, particularly in the South and East, had been exhausted by overuse and was marginally productive Extractive industries such as oil, gas, and minerals were proceeding at an unfettered pace Water
rights were increasingly coming under the control of private parties, who often operated without concern for flood control or the preservation of natural features. Theodore Roosevelt, a sportsman and naturalist, sided emphatically with the conservationists. Legislative effort was devoted to changing the way America
used its land, especially in the West. The Newlands Act of 1902 placed the federal government in an activist role in the areas of water management and reclamation. The president, with the aid and encouragement of Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot, worked to preserve more than 170 million acres, mostly in the West, in the forms
of national parks and monuments. “
(Speech at the Hamilton Club, Chicago, 1899)
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h937.html
contributions was the permanent preservation of the some of the most unique natural resources of the United States. The area of the United States placed under public protectionby him, were National Parks, National Forests, game and bird preserves, and other federal reservations. Some examples are Yosemite National Park (CA), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (ND), Boundary Waters Canoe Area (MN)
The forest reserves of the United States went from approximately 43,000,000 acres to about 194,000,000 acres under TR. This represents an increase of over 400%. The area of forest reserves established by Roosevelt is equal in acreage to all the states on the Atlantic coast from Maine to Virginia plus the states of Vermont, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. This is a greater area than France, Belgium, and The Netherlands combined.
www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/conNatlForests.htm
“It had long been believed in the United States that the supply of new lands and natural
resources was unlimited. In 1890, however, the Director of the Census announced
that a western frontier no longer existed. The last remaining reserved area, the
Oklahoma Territory, had been opened for settlement in the previous year. Other
remaining unoccupied lands were largely either arid or mountainous. A bitter debate followed—and continues today—between those who argued that America should exploit its resources to the fullest for as long as they last and those who favored conservation as a means to sustain supply over a longer time and preserve natural beauty. By the turn of the century, several things were evident: Forests throughout the country were depleted; some estimates indicated that only about 20 percent of the original woodlands remained in 1900. Much of the nation’s farmland, particularly in the South and East, had been exhausted by overuse and was marginally productive Extractive industries such as oil, gas, and minerals were proceeding at an unfettered pace Water
rights were increasingly coming under the control of private parties, who often operated without concern for flood control or the preservation of natural features. Theodore Roosevelt, a sportsman and naturalist, sided emphatically with the conservationists. Legislative effort was devoted to changing the way America
used its land, especially in the West. The Newlands Act of 1902 placed the federal government in an activist role in the areas of water management and reclamation. The president, with the aid and encouragement of Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot, worked to preserve more than 170 million acres, mostly in the West, in the forms
of national parks and monuments. “
(Speech at the Hamilton Club, Chicago, 1899)
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h937.html