Conservation is the act of protecting Earth’s natural resources for current and future generations
The reasonable use of the Earth's natural resources is the focus of conservation, to maintain the environment to meet human needs while insuring consideration for aesthetics, wildlife and recreation. Timber, fuels and ores have, and still are, being depleted so rapidly that the need to conserve them has become crucial. Conservation seeks to prevent the waste of natural resources, control pollution and maintain a quality environment for future generations.
Among the most valuable of these resources are forests, holding watersheds essential to water and soil conservation. They shelter many forms of wildlife, contain landscapes of incredible beauty, supply lumber for construction, cordwood for fuel and pulp for paper. Forests also provide the raw materials used in many synthetic products considered essential for modern life, including fibers, plastics, and medicines.
The Early Conservation Movement
By 1885, the year Gifford Pinchot decided upon a career in forestry, much of the Eastern forests had been burned to create farmlands, plundered of wood for construction and fuel, and, in many cases, wasted away through carelessness.
Then, in 1901, President McKinley was assassinated and Theodore Roosevelt became President. Through a twist of fate, “that damned cowboy”, as one Senator put it, was in the White House. And though many people were concerned with the destruction of America’s forests and resources, this new President would serve as the catalyst to action. The Conservation Movement had begun. Continue reading from The United States Forest Service
Conservation in the Progressive Era (Library of Congress)
Conservation: History and Future (Environmental Science)
Conservation Heroes (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
Find a Land Trust (Connecticut Conservation)
Five Ways to Celebrate World Nature Conservation Day (Greenpeace)
The Nature Conservancy (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
Understanding Conservation (National Wildlife Federation)
World Nature Conservation Day (Citizens' Environmental Coalition)
