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Show 429- linked issues which were beginning to plague Muir. This region was wilder than Yosemite, yet paradoxically it was being destroyed at a much faster rate because it was less well known. The only solution Muir could see was to improve public access. For the first time Muir was arguing that a wilderness should be opened up to improvement. If easier access would solve what Muir called "Destructive Tendencies," then he was not delighted with the prospect of "Game and Sport" which would follow. The direction of his reasoning is not very pleasant but is instructive to follow. Muir knew that the flora and fauna of the Kings region were being threatened most, and that his eastern audience needed to be reminded that the rocks were not the whole attraction of the area: At first sight it would seem that these mighty granite temples could be injured but little by anything that man may do. But it is surprising to find how much our impressions in such cases depend upon the delicate bloom of the scenery, which in all the more accessible places is so easily rubbed off. On the other hand, the possibility that the area might be made into a reserve or Park was motive for accelerated destruction of the wonderful Sequoia groves. The lumber companies were cutting and even blasting Sequoias in great haste, fearing restrictions in the future. This was a source of immediate concern. Muir was worried not only that the lumbering companies might get wind of the proposal, and thus increase their activi- |
