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Show 472 Apparently, a Congressman could be a conservationist and a preservationist. THE FORESTRY ESSAYS Muir's "The National Parks and Forest Reservations," published in Harper' s Weekly in June of 1897, made the case for forests which "should be reserved, protected, and administered by the Federal government for the public good forever." In this article, he set forth the conclusions of the National Forestry Commission as he and Sargent perceived them: (1) " . . . immediate withdrawal from entry and sale of all that is left of the forest bearing lands still in the possession of the government, as the first necessary step and foundation for a permanent forest policy," (2) protection of the Reserves by the United States Army, particularly fire protection, and (3) "After careful study . . . recommend a permanent, practical rational forest management . . . make them grow more beautiful, productive, and useful every year." These priorities, as Muir expressed them - preservation, protection, and careful management for beauty - were largely preservationist in spirit. He hoped that Congress would make laws for regulation to buttress these aims. Primarily, Muir's purpose was to defend the Reservations in the face of the vocal opposition he expected. Even friends, he thought, were objecting that the President had created too many Reservatuons at once, but the plan's real enemies were |
