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TRCP News
- How Will You Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of T.R.’s Birth?
- Leaders Discuss Threats to the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill
- February was a Month to Remember for the TRCP Energy Campaign
- TRCP Leader Named to First-Ever EPA Agricultural Advisory Committee
- TRCP Remains Engaged on Proposed Colorado and Idaho Roadless Plans
- Leaders Identify Key Issues Facing Sportsmen at Heroes of Conservation Roundtable
- Escape to the Wild Heads South for an Out-of-this-World Turkey Hunt
- How Will You Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of T.R.’s Birth?
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Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite. |
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Theodore Roosevelt. During his lifetime Roosevelt’s vigorous appetite for life led him to cross the country and the globe leaving his mark wherever he journeyed. A man of both ideas and action, Roosevelt’s work enabled our country’s tremendous first strides towards his vision for national conservation. He created the first national bird preserve, urged Congress to establish the United States Forest Service and set aside 194 million acres of land for national parks and nature preserves, more than all of his predecessors combined. He saw the need, envisioned a plan and worked to make it happen.
Much has changed over the last century and a half. Americans have seen the Industrial Revolution, world wars, a technological revolution and countless other social changes, but conservation still faces many challenges, just as it did during Roosevelt’s time. We too must be individuals of ideas and of action. The TRCP works to gather the best people and organizations in conservation, utilizing their collective strength and knowledge to fight for an enduring and healthy sporting tradition.
Throughout this 150th anniversary year, we at the TRCP ask you to honor the legacy Theodore Roosevelt left by stepping up and taking action. We need both your voice and your financial support to continue working towards our conservation mission. Donate to the TRCP now.
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- Leaders Discuss Threats to the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill
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The conservation title of the Farm Bill represents the largest source of funding for conservation of private lands. |
It’s make-or-break time for the Farm Bill and the programs it fuels, including the bunch of programs that are of huge importance to America’s hunters and anglers. The president is threatening to veto the Farm Bill if significant changes are not made, and if no bill has been passed by March 15, we will revert to 1949 law.
Recognizing this critical juncture, the representatives of the TRCP Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group hosted a press teleconference last week aimed at alerting the media to the recent wave of threats faced by these essential conservation programs.
Dave Nomsen of Pheasants Forever, Barton James of Ducks Unlimited and Brad Redlin of the Izaak Walton League of America spoke candidly of the need to maintain our national investment in established programs like the Conservation Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program, while making new investments in vital programs like Sodsaver and Open Fields.
“We’re doing everything possible to make sure that conservation programs don’t get cut simply because our leaders don’t know how much we care about them,” said TRCP Farm Bill Initiative Manager Geoff Mullins. “Since the time when this Farm Bill was only a speck on the legislative horizon, the members of this working group have been models of determination. And there’s no sign of any let-up in them."
“We’ve seen proof of the effectiveness of their combined effort in the strong Conservation Titles in the versions of the Farm Bill passed by both the House and Senate last year,” Mullins continued. “But we’ve got to make sure that conservation doesn’t lose out when final deals are going down. And they’re going down right now." To add your voice to those calling for strong Farm Bill conservation funding, click here.
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- February was a Month to Remember for the TRCP Energy Campaign
TRCP Protest Removes Utah Public Lands from Auction Block
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The HARD campaign will continue working to amplify sportsmen's voices on public lands energy issues.
Read the brochure. |
In the wake of protests by sportsmen, the Bureau of Land Management withdrew more than 7,400 acres of prime wildlife habitat from its Feb. 19 energy lease sale. Concerns about important big-game range and sage grouse habitat drove the Feb. 4 TRCP protest, which asserted that the BLM failed to conduct the necessary upfront planning for habitat conservation and that game and fish populations would be significantly altered by energy development as proposed.
“Sportsmen can celebrate the fact that, for the time being at least, these valuable Utah public lands will continue to provide world-class big-game hunting opportunities,” said Joel Webster, a TRCP field representative.
So far in 2008, the TRCP has filed protests of BLM lease sales in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming based on concerns for populations of big game, including mule deer, elk and pronghorn, and sage grouse, which presently is being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Recent research on the impacts to sage grouse from energy development shows that development is detrimental to sustaining local populations of this species. An ESA listing would fundamentally affect sportsmen due to the possibility of the elimination or restriction of hunting opportunities.
“The BLM’s decision, while welcome news to hunters and anglers, only underscores the agency’s inconsistent approach to dealing with mineral leasing,” said Steve Belinda, energy initiative manager for the TRCP and a former BLM biologist. “In the past month, we’ve protested close to 200,000 acres across the Rocky Mountain West, all motivated by sportsmen’s concerns for big game, trout and sage grouse. The BLM response – deferring only a few thousand acres in Utah – sends a clear message: The agency’s model is broken.”
TRCP Promotes Responsible Energy Development at Western Hunting and Conservation Expo
Lease deferrals weren’t the only thing happening in Utah in February. The second annual Western Hunting & Conservation Expo took place in Salt Lake City from Feb. 6-9. TRCP energy staff maintained an active presence at the event, meeting with hundreds of members of the public, as well as representatives of organizations and businesses, and engaging Western sportsmen in the TRCP’s recently renamed grassroots energy campaign, Hunters and Anglers for Responsible Development (HARD).
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Steve Belinda, TRCP Energy Initiative Manager, and Joel Webster, TRCP Field Representative, present a plaque to Miles Moretti, MDF President/CEO. |
The rapidly growing Utah event combines a hunting exposition with the joint national convention of three major North American wildlife conservation organizations: the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF), Sportsmen for Habitat and the Wild Sheep Foundation. More than 22,000 attendees crowded the Salt Palace Convention Center to learn about outdoor issues, products, wildlife art, hunts and trips. Close to 550 exhibitors were on hand to share knowledge and sell and donate items in support of the conservation gathering.
MDF President/CEO Miles Moretti serves on the TRCP Fish, Wildlife and Energy Working Group, which guides the TRCP’s FACTS approach to energy development, and TRCP energy staff looks to MDF and Moretti for recommendations on balancing development with Utah’s world-class mule deer herd.
The stakes are high for hunters, anglers and fish and wildlife. During the past 10 years, 3.9 million acres of public lands in Utah were leased for oil and gas development. The Bureau of Land Management is currently planning the future of 1.78 million acres of southeast Utah public lands. And areas in Utah popular with sportsmen, like the Book Cliffs and Strawberry Reservoir, already have been leased. By partnering with groups like the MDF, the TRCP ensures that sportsmen stay informed about public-lands energy development and can speak up in support of our hunting and fishing legacy.
The MDF held its 20th anniversary celebration in conjunction with the expo, capping the event with an anniversary banquet that drew hundreds of supporters. At the banquet, MDF unveiled a national endowment fund, “Leaving a Lasting Legacy,” in support of mule deer and black-tailed deer populations. Also that evening, TRCP Energy Initiative Manager Steve Belinda and Field Representative Joel Webster presented a commemorative plaque to MDF President/CEO Miles Moretti, thanking Moretti and MDF for their longstanding support of sportsmen’s issues and the TRCP. (Read this month’s Featured Conservation Leader interview with Moretti.)
Altogether the expo raised more than $10 million for North American wildlife. Learn more about next year’s event, and read about MDF’s 20th anniversary.
Wyoming Developments Show Need for Further Action by Sportsmen
Conservation of the Wyoming Range for sportsmen moved one step closer to reality during a Feb. 27 Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, where Bush administration officials gave nominal support of legislation that would put 1.2 million acres off limits to oil and gas development and Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal offered strongly worded testimony advocating the bill’s passage.
The Wyoming Range Legacy Act, introduced in October by Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, would eliminate future energy development in the region, home to trophy herds of big game and native cutthroat trout, and would allow buybacks of existing energy leases from leaseholders. Enjoyed by generations of hunters and anglers, the Wyoming Range is a crown jewel in America’s public-lands heritage.
At the February hearing, a Bureau of Land Management official testified that the Bush administration supports the measure but followed his statement with the recommendation that lawmakers look at options other than withdrawing the land from development.
Gov. Freudenthal, who criticized the administration’s stance, said of the Wyoming Range in his Senate testimony, “We want to ensure that we will be able to take our children and grandchildren to the same places to see the same big game herds, the same streams and the same mountains that we can see today.” He thanked Sen. Barrasso for introducing the bill and in so doing upholding the legacy of the late Sen. Craig Thomas to conserve what he called “the people’s backcountry.”
The federal approach to public-lands energy development in Wyoming came under further criticism recently by the Environmental Protection Agency, which denounced BLM plans to permit more natural gas wells on the Pinedale Anticline in the southwest portion of the state.
Citing the BLM’s inadequate analysis of the effects of the development on air quality and ground water, the EPA called for revision of the Pinedale plan. The TRCP and the Wyoming AFL-CIO issued pointed commentary of the BLM’s proposal for increased energy development within the anticline, an area with world-class fish and wildlife resources.
The TRCP believes that to better balance the concerns of fish and wildlife in the face of accelerating energy development, federal land management agencies must follow the conservation tenets outlined in the FACTS for Fish and Wildlife. Join TRCP’s HARD energy campaign.
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- TRCP Leader Named to First-Ever EPA Agricultural Advisory Committee
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Tom Franklin,
TRCP Senior Vice President |
The TRCP welcomed the recent announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency that it had named TRCP Senior Vice President Tom Franklin to its first-ever agricultural advisory committee.
The EPA "Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee" is designed to strengthen relations between the agency and the agricultural community. It will advise the administrator on environmental policy issues affecting farms, ranches and rural communities.
The TRCP's Franklin is the lone representative to the 30-member committee from a hunting, fishing or conservation organization.
"In nominating a dyed-in-the-wool sportsman to this committee, the EPA has shown that it understands that the interests of America's hunters and anglers are intertwined with those of agricultural communities nationwide," said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper. "We applaud the agency's recognition of this reality, and we thank the administrator for inviting one of our finest representatives to take a seat at the table."
"I'm extremely honored to be named to this committee," Franklin said, "and I see it as a reward for the hard work and determination that so many of our partner groups collectively have invested in the agricultural policymaking arena in recent years." "Through increased cooperation...EPA is planting the seeds to reap both environmental and economic benefits for the American people," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said in announcing the committee, which will hold its inaugural meeting in early March. "
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- TRCP Remains Engaged on Proposed Colorado and Idaho Roadless Plans
As the federal government and states of Colorado and Idaho move forward to develop state-specific roadless area management plans, the TRCP is working with sportsmen to ensure that the needs of hunters and anglers are heard. National forest roadless areas, also known as backcountry, provide important secure habitat for big game and clean water for trout. The TRCP knows that the future management of backcountry areas can affect hunting and fishing opportunities on public lands across the West.
Public meetings on the management of roadless areas were held across Idaho during January and February. The TRCP notified our individual partners and has been working with other sportsmen’s groups and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) so that our concerns and priorities are reflected in the final management plan. Recently in Idaho Falls and Pocatello, Idaho, a number of local big-game hunters attended public meetings to voice their support for changes to the proposed Idaho roadless rule. Their input should help assure that management guidelines for the Caribou-Targhee National Forest conserve areas with important mule deer, elk, mountain goat, and bighorn sheep hunting opportunities.
In Colorado, the public has been providing preliminary “scoping” comments as the state and USFS begin formulating a draft rule and environmental impact statement for the state’s 4.4 million acres of roadless backcountry. The TRCP submitted comments that represented sportsmen’s interests, requesting that the USFS and Colorado take a hard look at how management changes could affect hunting and fishing.
“The development of Colorado’s backcountry management plan raises a number of concerns for the sportsmen’s community,” said Joel Webster, TRCP roadless initiative manager. “We are working overtime to guarantee that world-renowned trout fishing and mule deer and elk hunting remain a part of Colorado’s heritage for generations to come.”
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A hunter takes advantage of one of the California roadless areas. Photo credit: Gary Kramer |
Gov. Schwarzenegger Files Federal Complaint to Protect California’s Forests
Since 2005, TRCP has provided scientific information and maps to hunters and anglers to inform them on the effects of roads on fish and wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing quality in national forests, and how to convey their own preferences for roaless area management to their governor. California Governor Schwarzenegger has since heard from many of his state’s sportsmen that they wanted roadless areas to remain roadless.
On February 28, Schwarzenegger announced California’s complaint in U.S. District Court, contesting forest management plans for the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests, saying, “Protecting California’s forests and wildlands has been a priority of my administration since my first day in office. Despite repeated attempts to ensure that the United States Forest Service honor its written assurance that California’s roadless areas would be protected, they have failed to do so.” Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman filed the complaint, through the attorney general's office, challenging the four southern California forest plans after the federal government denied the agency's appeal. Governor Schwarzenegger has been tireless in his efforts to protect California's forests, consistently advocating that "roadless areas in California will remain roadless."
Learn more about how the TRCP is helping conserve roadless areas.
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- Leaders Identify Key Issues Facing Sportsmen at Heroes of Conservation Roundtable
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George Cooper, TRCP President & CEO, speaks at the Field & Stream Heroes of Conservation Roundtable at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. |
As tens of thousands gathered in Las Vegas to learn about current products and trends in the hunting and shooting industry at the 2008 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, Field & Stream shone a spotlight on conservation issues critical to America’s hunters and anglers.
Field and Stream, in conjunction with Toyota, hosted a Heroes of Conservation Roundtable Breakfast at SHOT, bringing together four accomplished leaders to discuss the politics of conservation. Panelists included George Cooper, TRCP president and CEO; Howard Vincent, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and TRCP board member; Lyle Laverty, assistant secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks; and Jeff Crane, president of Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
Of the many critical issues facing sportsmen today, those singled out by the panel were public access, wetlands, energy development, the Farm Bill and youth participation. Cooper identified the Farm Bill as one of the TRCP’s priorities, emphasizing the importance of the “Open Fields” program in providing hunters and anglers with access to private land. Vincent added that access to 39.2 million acres could be gained or lost with passage of the new Farm Bill legislation. Both Cooper and Vincent indicated that the TRCP’s partnership with the AFL-CIO and many of its affiliated unions could play an important role in final legislation.
Active involvement by sportsmen was a theme the panelists returned to repeatedly. Cooper emphasized that public-lands energy development and wetlands degradation are major concerns for sportsmen and, therefore, are key issues for the TRCP. Illustrating these challenges, he noted that 26 million acres of public land have been leased for energy development in the last 10 years and that wetlands are disappearing at a rate of 80,000 acres per year. All the panelists acknowledged that sportsmen play a critical role in generating funding for conservation. With hunter and angler numbers on the decline, Laverty stressed the need to get youths involved in hunting, fishing and conservation issues through outdoor events that engage the entire family.
Closing statements by Brian Maguire, Field & Stream’s 2007 Conservation Hero of the Year, further underscored the need for sportsmen to get involved in conservation issues. A computer engineer in Portland, Ore.,Maguire co-founded Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) following the loss of some of his favorite hunting grounds to clear-cutting. After 10 years of work, including testifying before Congress, Maguire and BHA recently got more than 16,000 acres of mule deer winter habitat added to the 2007 Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act. Field & Stream introduced its Heroes of Conservation program in 2005 to recognize the remarkable conservation efforts of individuals. At the Heroes of Conservation panel at the SHOT Show, conservation leaders agreed that individuals hold the key to the future of hunting and angling traditions in America. Join a conservation organization. Take an interest in conservation political issues. Get youth involved. Sportsmen’s voices are critical in ensuring that we all have a place to hunt and fish.
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7. TRCP's Escape to the Wild Heads South for an Out-of-this-World Turkey Hunt
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Gary Green, IAFF Local 321,
and host Tom Ackerman hunt ocellated turkey in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. |
This week on TRCP's Escape to the Wild, Wisconsin Public Education Officer Gary Green fights his way through the thick jungles of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in search of the elusive ocellated turkey.
“With the heat, humidity and dense cover, it was like hunting turkeys in Jurassic Park,” said Tom Ackerman, the show’s host.
An avid turkey hunter, Green dreamed of hunting the ocellated turkey in Mexico and one day achieving the World Slam. For turkey hunters, a world slam is achieved by successfully hunting all five wild turkey subspecies in North America and the ocellated turkey.
Also a self-taught taxidermist, Green aims to avoid a body shot, a goal that only added to the challenge of the hunt. Find out if Green gets one bird closer to the World Slam during TRCP's Escape to the Wild, produced by Orion, on VERSUS Sunday, March 9.
.Join Gary Green for this jurassic hunt in the Yucatan.
Tune in to VERSUS Country on Sunday, March 9 at 10 AM (ET).
Click here to find air times and/or your VERSUS channel number.
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Updates from TRCP Partner Organizations - News from the National Conservation Community
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American Sportfishing Association
Sportfishing in America: An Economic Engine and Conservation Powerhouse, a new report, highlights how fishing endures as an activity that permeates social and economic aspects of Americans’ lives and plays a role in conservation. More>> |
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Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Stay up-to-date by reading the Conservation News blog. More>> |
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BASS/ESPN Outdoors
Costa Del Mar and BASS announce their five Conservation Scholarship winners. More>> |
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Coastal Conservation Association
Read the latest edition of TIDE Magazine. More>> |
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Delta Waterfowl
Delta Waterfowl supports the proposal to increase the price of the federal duck stamp, but recommends that a higher percentage of the additional revenue be allocated to the Prairie Pothole Region, the nation's duck factory. More>>
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Ducks Unlimited
Renowned wildlife artist Peter Mathios of is the Ducks Unlimited 2009 International Artist of the Year. More>> |
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Federation of Fly Fishers
The National Fly Fishing expo will be held March 28-30, 2008 in Lakeland, Fla. More>> |
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Izaak Walton League of America
Submit your application for the 2008 National Conservation Scholarship by April 1, 2008. More>> |
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Mule Deer Foundation
The Mule Deer Foundation celebrated 20 years at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City. More>> |
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The Nature Conservancy
The first-ever global study of human influences on marine areas, co-authored by a TNC scientist, finds few “wild waters” still exist. More>> |
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Pheasants Forever
PF has launched the No Child Left Indoors™ initiative, aimed at getting youth unplugged from electronics and turned on to the outdoors, nature and wildlife. More>> |
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Quail Forever
QF announces the organization's first-ever philanthropy campaign, the Grassroots Conservation Campaign, aiming at the goal of raising $25 million. More>> |
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Quail Unlimited
Missouri authorizes Apprentice Hunter Authorization, hoping to help counteract the declining hunter numbers. More>> |
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Quality Deer Management Association
Don’t procrastinate with doe harvesting goals; QDMA can help. More>>
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Trout Unlimited
TU calls for a scientific review of the Pacific Salmon Treaty to ensure that it is meeting the conservation objectives required to protect wild salmon, including the protection of salmon habitat. More>> |
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Trust for Public Land
Find out what is going on in our nation’s capital with TPL’s Washington Watch. More>> |
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Whitetails Unlimited
Whitetails Unlimited is seeking a New York field director. More>> |
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Wildlife Management Institute
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service have teamed up with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to relieve snowbound wildlife populations by closing state and federal land to all human activity in the Gunnison Basin. More>> |
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The Wildlife Society
TWS is accepting applications for Leadership Institute 2008 until March 7, 2008. More>> |
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Featured Conservation Leader
Miles Moretti, President/CEO, Mule Deer Foundation
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Miles Moretti,
TRCP Policy Council Member and Mule Deer Foundation President/CEO |
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Who got you involved with hunting and/or fishing? When?
Like a lot of others, my family took me hunting as far back as I can remember. I would lay awake at night anticipating getting up in the morning, eating breakfast and heading out to the field. We were blessed in Wyoming by having abundant game close to our home, so we didn’t camp out while hunting. Generally, we returned home in the late afternoon. My father passed away when I was 12, and thankfully I had an uncle who kept going our family tradition of hunting.
What is your most memorable experience afield?
There are so many memories. I remember the first time I was old enough to hunt sage grouse. I had a very old 16-gauge single shot shotgun that weighed a ton. I was so proud to be able to hunt with the adults, and you can’t imagine the excitement when I shot my first bird. My family gave me a hard time for shooting a very old male sage grouse. They teased me that it would be tougher than a leather boot. I didn’t care; it was my first bird. I carried it back to the car and let a little blood drip on my pants so I could show everyone at home that I had been successful in the field. Those memories of hunting with my family and friends will be with me throughout my lifetime.
What do you think are our most pressing conservation issues today?
The easy answer is lost of habitat for all wildlife species, but I think a huge concern for the conservation community is whether or not the next generation will have a strong interest in hunting and conservation. We have all seen the statistics about how we are losing hunters and anglers at an alarming rate. We need the next generation to step up and address the challenges of loss of habitat, lack of access and recruitment. Our challenge is to reengage our youth, get them outside and excited about hunting, fishing and conservation. I applaud the efforts many of our national wildlife conservation groups have taken on this issue.
What is your approach to facing conservation challenges?
Partnerships. We cannot face the conservation challenges ahead alone. No one group has enough money, manpower, volunteers or political clout to reverse the trends we are seeing. We can all accomplish more together than we can individually. When we partner on projects we can improve more habitat. When we partner on youth recruitment programs we are more successful than when we go it alone. Politically we have more clout when we all partner together to face the challenges of the political process.
Why are you involved with the TRCP?
I believe in the TRCP’s mission of guaranteeing a place to fish and hunt. I believe that every conservation organization has a certain role in conservation. The TRCP has been able to be an independent voice for hunters and anglers in the political arena and has taken on very tough issues facing wildlife. The TRCP staff members are professional and working tirelessly to fulfill the TRCP’s mission.
The TRCP can speak on issues that, for a number of reasons, my organization cannot. They are able to challenge federal planning documents at both the local and national level on issues that impact wildlife and our ability to hunt and fish.† I appreciate the partnership with the TRCP and look forward to working together in the future.
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Bookshelf
Saving Homewaters: The Story of Montana's Streams and Rivers by Gordon Sullivan
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Saving Homewaters documents angler-led conservation efforts in Montana over the course of the last 100 years. The fabled nature of Montana's streams cannot be taken for granted, and in the late 1800s many of Montana's rivers were filled with pollution and dying fish. Certain key conservation and restoration policies between 1900 and 1940 set the stage for the waters that now draw visitors and anglers from around the world. Yet, many of those same rivers and streams are once again facing devastating environmental threats. Gordon Sullivan gives us real insight into what it means to save the rivers we love most.
For more information, please click here.
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Game and Hunting by Kurt G. Bluchel
With more than 1,200 fascinating illustrations, this volume offers a comprehensive overview of every aspect of the hunt. While the compendium will appeal to hunters, the brilliant animal photography should arouse the interest of all nature fans.
For more information, click here.
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Photo Gallery
Check out How Your Fellow TRCP Partners Fared this Season
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Kenny Sibben is a business representative for Local 292 in Minneapolis, Minn. He shot this buck in Park Rapids, Minn.
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We want your photos.
Next month's selection will win an Orvis hunting shirt with the TRCP logo on it!
Send photos to info@trcp.org.
Electronic photos only please. |
View the rest of the TRCP Partner Photo gallery here.
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Roosevelt Reflections
Roosevelt's Lifelong Passion for Conservation
by Amanda Warwick
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Amanda Warwick stands with her first-place history project on Theodore Roosevelt and conservation. |
Recently I participated in my school’s Junior Historian competition with my project titled “Green Giant – Theodore Roosevelt: Naturalist and Conservationist.” I chose Theodore Roosevelt as the topic for my research project because he was a very influential person. He cared about things that affected people’s everyday lives. Since his biggest concern was conservation and the environment, I decided to focus on that for my project. Roosevelt always loved nature, even as a child. Some of his first reading materials were cumbersome volumes of natural history. This interest in nature led him to collect and study animals. Roosevelt and two of his cousins organized the “Roosevelt Museum of Natural History” in the upstairs hallway of young Roosevelt’s home. As Roosevelt grew older, his love for the environment continued to flourish.
All his life he worked to share his love of nature with others. As president he established 150 national forests, the first 51 federal bird reservations, five national parks, the first 18 national monuments, the first four national game preserves, and the first 21 reclamation projects. Overall, Theodore Roosevelt had a huge impact on the way that the nation thought of conservation and the natural resources. By using his political influence, Roosevelt was able to share his concern of the problems he cared so much about with people who would not have heard about them otherwise.
Roosevelt did a lot to help our country’s growth, but he considered his work in conservation and for the environment his most important. He was talking about conservation and using our resources wisely before most people had even heard of the concept. Roosevelt’s frequent political opponent, Senator Robert LaFollette remembered Roosevelt’s accomplishments by saying, “His greatest work was actually beginning a world movement for staying terrestrial waste and saving for the human race the things upon which alone a great and peaceful and progressive and happy race can be founded.” One of the reasons that Roosevelt’s work is so influential is because the things that he warned people about are still part of the nation’s problems today. I wonder what our country would be like today if it weren’t for Roosevelt’s ideas and actions?
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