Opinion Trump orders swathes of US forests to be cut down for timber

[Deorum]

The guy who planned the hanging of the flag from El Capitan was a fired former park service employee from Yosemite. You know, one of those people that lost their jobs for absolutely no reason.

A Fired Yosemite Locksmith Messages Trump From From the Summit of El Capitan

I'd love to see the quote from Burgum that you're talking about. Because everything I've seen from him, both in the media and sent to to government emails is just incessant talk about energy.

I'd love to see the quotes where I've been anything but overtly critical about firing park rangers. That shit was foul, dude.

"Burgum Promises To Hire 5,000 Temporary Park Workers"

"Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended his firing of more than 1,000 park rangers as an effort to shrink government to the “right size,” in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday."

www.sej.org

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended his firing of more than 1,000 park rangers as an effort to shrink government to the “right size,” in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday.

The secretary, who was also named President Donald Trump’s energy czar, said the National Park Service is planning to hire 5,000 people to fill temporary jobs to man parks during the busy summer season — seemingly recognizing the criticism that reducing NPS staff will leave skeleton crews to staff the nation’s parks just as visitation spikes with warmer weather.

“We’re just in the process right now of posting 5,000 summer jobs,” Burgum said in the interview. “You want to start a career in the park service? Go apply for a job.”"

 

[jk7707]

I'd love to see the quotes where I've been anything but overtly critical about firing park rangers. That shit was foul, dude.

"Burgum Promises To Hire 5,000 Temporary Park Workers"

"Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended his firing of more than 1,000 park rangers as an effort to shrink government to the “right size,” in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday."

www.sej.org

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended his firing of more than 1,000 park rangers as an effort to shrink government to the “right size,” in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday.

The secretary, who was also named President Donald Trump’s energy czar, said the National Park Service is planning to hire 5,000 people to fill temporary jobs to man parks during the busy summer season — seemingly recognizing the criticism that reducing NPS staff will leave skeleton crews to staff the nation’s parks just as visitation spikes with warmer weather.

“We’re just in the process right now of posting 5,000 summer jobs,” Burgum said in the interview. “You want to start a career in the park service? Go apply for a job.”"

I mean you're criticizing this guy for "wasting valuable resources" when he'd literally just been fired, and decided to make a statement about it.

I know you've advocated for public lands in many of your past posts. But you can't do both here. You've got to choose. Are the other policies of this administration that you agree with more important to you than this? If the answer to that is yes, then I fully understand your position. If the answer is no, then you need to rethink who you're supporting.

I see the quote from Burgum now. The problem is, that it isn't an "additional" 5,000 seasonal employees. It's releasing the hiring freeze on the 5,000+ seasonal employees that are hired every year to deal with the busy season. That is a baseline not a bonus, especially considering he was literally defending the firing of the 1,000 or so permanent employees in the same article. So in the end it's attempting to hire the baseline seasonal employees minus many employees that would be training/supervising them.

There is also a problem in that the delay on all of this hiring (from the hiring freeze) means that in many parks there is zero chance for getting these seasonal employees ready to work by the time the busy season hits (it already is in many parks).

 

[Islam Imamate]

It's fairly obvious he became "critical" of Trump (was he really critical though? ) after getting made fun of for brushing the entire thing off by playing with the wording of a single statement in the OP when there's obviously far more there, including relating to the ESA, layoffs etc. It's pretty clear he'd rather try to justify it in a sense that doesn't make his favorite politician look that bad, which was the point. "Quality of arguments" is an appropriate term to use.

Idk that its fair to say that it was word games, he was pointing out the distinction between national forests, which have always allowed commercial and recreational activity like logging, grazing, fishing, and hunting, with national parks that are focused first and foremost on conservation and that this EO applies to the former and not the latter. If I'm being honest I wasn't aware of that distinction before this thread myself though perhaps you were.

Is he sympathetic to Trump and thus probably motivated to blunt criticism of him? I'd bet he is but even if that's the case he pointed out a relevant distinction and even still he nonetheless criticized the order as well as the lay offs of rangers and other such staff.

I'm good with the outcome here. Good luck to both of you though.

The funny thing is I disagree with him vehemently on matters of far greater importance to myself so if anything in a general sense you and I are more so on the same "side" than I am with him.

Has there even been a conversation at all?

Let's run this back.

The Guardian: The future of some of America’s most prized forests now appears uncertain.

I guess it depends what is meant by "prized forests"

You seem to have interpreted it in conservation terms and assumed it meant old growth which is not entirely unlike how I interpreted it myself. I guess someone else could mean it to refer to economically productive forests in which case it would apply here but I don't think that's what the implication was if the underlying argument is that the EO is a threat to endangered species and their habitats.

Regardless, as long as Trump's grubby paws off the Everglades I won't have to become an ecoterrorist. That is one swamp that should not, cannot, and will not be drained.

 

[Deorum]

I mean you're criticizing this guy for "wasting valuable resources" when he'd literally just been fired, and decided to make a statement about it.

I know you've advocated for public lands in many of your past posts. But you can't do both here. You've got to choose. Are the other policies of this administration that you agree with more important to you than this? If the answer to that is yes, then I fully understand your position. If the answer is no, then you need to rethink who you're supporting.

I see the quote from Burgum now. The problem is, that it isn't an "additional" 5,000 seasonal employees. It's releasing the hiring freeze on the 5,000+ seasonal employees that are hired every year to deal with the busy season. That is a baseline not a bonus, especially considering he was literally defending the firing of the 1,000 or so permanent employees in the same article. So in the end it's attempting to hire the baseline seasonal employees minus many employees that would be training/supervising them.

There is also a problem in that the delay on all of this hiring (from the hiring freeze) means that in many parks there is zero chance for getting these seasonal employees ready to work by the time the busy season hits (it already is in many parks).

I didn't vote for Donald Trump. I didn't co-sign it.

Idk that its fair to say that it was word games, he was pointing out the distinction between national forests, which have always allowed commercial and recreational activity like logging, grazing, fishing, and hunting, with national parks that are focused first and foremost on conservation and that this EO applies to the former and not the latter. If I'm being honest I wasn't aware of that distinction before this thread myself though perhaps you were.

Is he sympathetic to Trump and thus probably motivated to blunt criticism of him? I'd bet he is but even if that's the case he pointed out a relevant distinction and even still he nonetheless criticized the order as well as the lay offs of rangers other such staff.

The funny thing is I disagree with him vehemently on matters of far greater importance to myself so if anything in a general sense you and I are more so on the same "side" than I am with him.

I guess it depends what is meant by "prized forests"

You seem to have interpreted it in conservation terms and assumed it meant old growth which is not entirely unlike how I interpreted it myself. I guess someone else could mean it to refer to economically productive forests in which case it would apply here but I don't think that's what the implication was if the underlying argument is that the EO is a threat to endangered species and their habitats.

Regardless, as long as Trump's grubby paws off the Everglades I won't have to become an ecoterrorist. That is one swamp that should not, cannot, and will not be drained.

You Get It. Not all public lands are created equal where aesthetic, geological, and ecological values are concerned, not even fucking close. I'm a conservationist, not a save-every-tree radical environmentalist. The most pristine forests in the country are part of the national park system that falls under the Organic Act of 1916 (the same one that brought the park service itself into existence), and each of them has their own separate designation enacted by Congress. They would have to be decomissioned by Congress to be exploited for natural resources. Additionally, 65% of US national forest land falls under the Wilderness Protection Act of 1964; the other 35% is open for commercial uses and I'm fine with that. There are also other forested areas that fall under the oversight of the Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service.

 

[Islam Imamate]

You Get It. Not all public lands are created equal where aesthetic, geological, and ecological values are concerned, not even fucking close. I'm a conservationist, not a save-every-tree radical environmentalist. The most pristine forests in the country are part of the national park system that falls under the Organic Act of 1916 (the same one that brought the park service itself into existence), and each of them has their own separate designation enacted by Congress. They would have to be decomissioned by Congress to be exploited for natural resources. Additionally, 65% of US national forest land falls under the Wilderness Protection Act of 1964; the other 35% is open for commercial uses and I'm fine with that. There are also other forested areas that fall under the oversight of the Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service.

From my POV virtually all of Trump's initiatives end up being worse than they seem at first which is saying something and I suspect this EO will be no exception.

But the OP did leave me with the impression that this EO applied to old growth forests and its quite a relief to find out that's not the case.

 

[Deorum]

From my POV virtually all of Trump's initiatives end up being worse than they seem at first which is saying something and I suspect this EO will be no exception.

But the OP did leave me with the impression that this EO applied to old growth forests and its quite a relief to find out that's not the case.

It's still bad as far as what can be done immediately, just not apocalyptic and in no way means that the Admin isn't going to try. I listed several things I fully expect to happen. There will be intense legal challenges though, and the laws are cast iron.

 

[Islam Imamate]

It's still bad as far as what can be done immediately, just not apocalyptic and in no way means that the Admin isn't going to try. I listed several things I fully expect to happen. There will be intense legal challenges though, and the laws are cast iron.

Trump seems to be pushing back against the judiciary and Congressional Republicans have abdicated their duty to hold POTUS to account so I worry that laws are merely a piece of paper to him

Nonetheless I doubt he's going to push hard on the guardrails for this issue. Even this bull in a China shop has to pick his battles.

 

[Deorum]

Trump seems to be pushing back against the judiciary and Congressional Republicans have abdicated their duty to hold POTUS to account so I worry that laws are merely a piece of paper to him

Nonetheless I doubt he's going to push hard on the guardrails for this issue. Even this bull in a China shop has to pick his battles.

We need senators and congressman from western states to grow a spine and push back from within. They know the idea of exploiting or selling off public land is deeply unpopular among their constituents. It's why you see stuff like this from Republicans.

Daines' bipartisan bill seeks reauthorization of fund to address national park maintenance backlog • Daily Montanan

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines on Thursday introduced a bill with bipartisan support that seeks to reauthorize for another eight years a program to address billions in overdue maintenance at national parks, increase program funding from the federal government, and seeks to increase the amount of public...

dailymontanan.com

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on Thursday introduced a bill with bipartisan support that seeks to reauthorize a program to address billions in overdue maintenance at national parks, increase program funding from the federal government, and seeks to increase the amount of public donations supporting those projects.

The act would for keep the program running for another eight years.

Called the “America the Beautiful Act,” the bill would build upon parts of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act signed in 2020 under President Donald Trump, which authorized up to $6.5 billion in funding during the course of five years for the National Parks and Public Legacy Restoration Fund through fiscal year 2025. Since 2020, more than $4 billion has been committed from the fund to projects across the country.

Daines, a Republican, led introduction of the bill Thursday alongside Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, and Mark Warner, D-Virginia. He said in a statement the bill would continue to address a backlog of maintenance projects on certain public lands and at national parks, including Yellowstone and Glacier.

“Our country is home to incredible national parks and public lands – that’s what makes us America the beautiful. I’ll always fight to protect our parks and work to make sure we’re managing our public lands as effectively as possible,” Daines said in a statement.

Zinke Introduces the Bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act

Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke announced the introduction of the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act at a roundtable discussion in Bozeman with representatives from Montana’s leading outdoor recreation, sportsmen and conservation organizations. Zinke partnered with Democrat Congressman...

zinke.house.gov

(BOZEMAN, MT) Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke announced the introduction of the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act at a roundtable discussion in Bozeman with representatives from Montana’s leading outdoor recreation, sportsmen and conservation organizations. Zinke partnered with Democrat Congressman Gabe Vasquez from New Mexico on the legislation.

The Public Lands in Public Hands Act follows Zinke’s commitment to maintaining public access to public land by banning the sale or transfer of most public lands managed by the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest service except under specific conditions and where required under previous laws. The bill also requires Congressional approval for disposals of publicly accessible federal land tracts over 300 acres and for public land tracts over 5 acres if accessible via a public waterway. This provision alone would protect public access to nearly 30 million acres of public lands depended upon by outdoorsmen of all types across Montana.

In Montana, and across the West, public lands are an integral piece of our way of life. Both the Forest Service (USFS) and The Department of the Interior (DOI) have authorities to transfer or sell public land, the most commonly used being the Bureau of Land Management. While most parcels listed for disposal are small and inaccessible, making them good candidates for targeted sale, numerous disposal tracts are publicly accessible and important for recreation. The Public Lands in Public Hands Act would increase Congressional scrutiny over land tracts listed for disposal while protecting smaller transfers that increase public access.

 

[Deleted member 592570]

Where did you think lumber came from?

 

[Islam Imamate]

We need senators and congressman from western states to grow a spine and push back from within. They know the idea of exploiting or selling off public land is deeply unpopular among their constituents. It's why you see stuff like this from Republicans.

Daines' bipartisan bill seeks reauthorization of fund to address national park maintenance backlog • Daily Montanan

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines on Thursday introduced a bill with bipartisan support that seeks to reauthorize for another eight years a program to address billions in overdue maintenance at national parks, increase program funding from the federal government, and seeks to increase the amount of public...

dailymontanan.com

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on Thursday introduced a bill with bipartisan support that seeks to reauthorize a program to address billions in overdue maintenance at national parks, increase program funding from the federal government, and seeks to increase the amount of public donations supporting those projects.

The act would for keep the program running for another eight years.

Called the “America the Beautiful Act,” the bill would build upon parts of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act signed in 2020 under President Donald Trump, which authorized up to $6.5 billion in funding during the course of five years for the National Parks and Public Legacy Restoration Fund through fiscal year 2025. Since 2020, more than $4 billion has been committed from the fund to projects across the country.

Daines, a Republican, led introduction of the bill Thursday alongside Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, and Mark Warner, D-Virginia. He said in a statement the bill would continue to address a backlog of maintenance projects on certain public lands and at national parks, including Yellowstone and Glacier.

“Our country is home to incredible national parks and public lands – that’s what makes us America the beautiful. I’ll always fight to protect our parks and work to make sure we’re managing our public lands as effectively as possible,” Daines said in a statement.

Zinke Introduces the Bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act

Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke announced the introduction of the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act at a roundtable discussion in Bozeman with representatives from Montana’s leading outdoor recreation, sportsmen and conservation organizations. Zinke partnered with Democrat Congressman...

zinke.house.gov

(BOZEMAN, MT) Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke announced the introduction of the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act at a roundtable discussion in Bozeman with representatives from Montana’s leading outdoor recreation, sportsmen and conservation organizations. Zinke partnered with Democrat Congressman Gabe Vasquez from New Mexico on the legislation.

The Public Lands in Public Hands Act follows Zinke’s commitment to maintaining public access to public land by banning the sale or transfer of most public lands managed by the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest service except under specific conditions and where required under previous laws. The bill also requires Congressional approval for disposals of publicly accessible federal land tracts over 300 acres and for public land tracts over 5 acres if accessible via a public waterway. This provision alone would protect public access to nearly 30 million acres of public lands depended upon by outdoorsmen of all types across Montana.

In Montana, and across the West, public lands are an integral piece of our way of life. Both the Forest Service (USFS) and The Department of the Interior (DOI) have authorities to transfer or sell public land, the most commonly used being the Bureau of Land Management. While most parcels listed for disposal are small and inaccessible, making them good candidates for targeted sale, numerous disposal tracts are publicly accessible and important for recreation. The Public Lands in Public Hands Act would increase Congressional scrutiny over land tracts listed for disposal while protecting smaller transfers that increase public access.

What I find striking reading about past Congresses is how it was not uncommon for Congressmen of both parties to close ranks with one another against the president when they felt the executive was engaging in an overreach and in some cases even against party leaders in Congress.

I can't expect a GOP controlled House and Senate to enact my preferred policy on some matters but I do think it's perfectly fair for me to expect them to defend their turf from a power hungry POTUS.

If you want to enact radically conservative policy then at least do so through the legislature instead of sitting on your hands while he sidelines Congress in favor of DOGE. Wanna gut national forests, USAID, and the Departmentof Education? Pass a law through Congress!

 

[Deorum]

What I find striking reading about past Congresses is how it was not uncommon for Congressmen of both parties to close ranks with one another against the president when they felt the executive was engaging in an overreach and in some cases even against party leaders in Congress.

I can't expect a GOP controlled House and Senate to enact my preferred policy on some matters but I do think it's perfectly fair for me to expect them to defend their turf from a power hungry POTUS.

If you want to enact radically conservative policy then at least do so through the legislature instead of sitting on your hands while he sidelines Congress in favor of DOGE. Wanna gut national forests, USAID, and the Departmentof Education? Pass a law through Congress!

I wholeheartedly agree.

On another note, and something I've mentioned several times before: I think it's easy to drum up hysteria and hyperbole (even if unintentional) over public lands in part because most people have no idea how much of the continental United States we're talking about. I personally love it, but I can see how some people could look at this and find it excessive. I'd be surprised if you didn't find it excessive yourself tbh. It also explains my heavy emphasis on "western this, western that". It's all out here.

 

[Deorum]

@Islam Imamate

To put it further perspective: If US public land was a country, it would be amongst the top five largest nations in the world by land mass. It's just totally absurd, in the best way. Some people believe that all of it should remain untouched with none of it utilized to drive economic growth (which is all Trump's dumbass is really trying to do). And again, I'd be stupendously surprised if you were in that group given what you've learned from this thread alone.

I actually anticipated that the attacks on the NPS would be a hell of a lot worse because it isn't going get more dramatic than what they do out of the gate with DOGE's reckless cut-throat influence. The most they could manage is cutting around 5% of a 20,000 strong workforce with hiring freezes put in place, and they're already having to rethink and walk that back before the first peak season under the new Admin has even arrived? It's becoming plainly obvious that the park service is not going to be "gutted" much less will we see genuine national treasures that generate billions in tourist revenue "sold off" to plutocrats and corporations.

 

[Deorum]

Trump seems to be pushing back against the judiciary and Congressional Republicans have abdicated their duty to hold POTUS to account so I worry that laws are merely a piece of paper to him

Nonetheless I doubt he's going to push hard on the guardrails for this issue. Even this bull in a China shop has to pick his battles.

It's not looking good for DJT based on this early decision, which also essentially affirms the authority of random federal district judges to shut down direct executive orders from the President. People genuinely believe he's going to be given free reign to clear cut 280 million fucking acres of public forest land? He really wants to do it that badly, huh. I guess we'll see.

 

[ChosenOne]

Ah yes, those pesky far left unions wanting people to get paid for their labor and have workplace protections and dignity lmao. And of course immigrants are never exploited. And here we have the majestic, anti-union, anti-labor liberal or centrist (close enough) in his majestic glory, who very possibly has never even worked with people from various countries doing blue collar work and who is excusing sweat shops whilst criticizing progressives for having overlap with MAGA even though a lot of Republican business owners love their cheap labor.

Truly a sight to behold.

Unions have no power currently and are at historical lows for membership.

Historically we have seen when unions hold too much power, and can threaten mass disruptions they will absolutely abuse that power demanding wages and benefits way above the wages and benefits paid in the private sector in comparable positions. And when they do that while shutting things down and making life harder and more expensive for every day americans, who are not in Unions, and they see what the demands are, the Unions then lose all popular support which brings to where they are today.

And i do not blame the Unions as they play the same game the Corporations are playing now, in abusing their power to ask for increasingly ridiculous tax cut and other benefits, which increasingly every day Americans are seeing as greedy and turning against them now, to the benefit of Unions again.

This teeter totter swings back and forth, sadly because the adversarial system in labor is one that is broken. There is a much better model for BOTH unions and Corporations that would provide a win/win but sadly many Americans, like Trump does, believe 'if the other side is winning, we must have done something wrong'.

 

[Islam Imamate]

I wholeheartedly agree.

On another note, and something I've mentioned several times before: I think it's easy to drum up hysteria and hyperbole (even if unintentional) over public lands in part because most people have no idea how much of the continental United States we're talking about. I personally love it, but I can see how some people could look at this and find it excessive. I'd be surprised if you didn't find it excessive yourself tbh. It also explains my heavy emphasis on "western this, western that". It's all out here.

It's a lot of land but my understanding is that a lot of that land isn't suitable for farming and the current system allows some of that land for grazing. And anyway in modern societies most people live in cities near the coasts so I think it makes sense to preserve or manage parts of the interior

@Islam Imamate

To put it further perspective: If US public land was a country, it would be amongst the top five largest nations in the world by land mass. It's just totally absurd, in the best way. Some people believe that all of it should remain untouched with none of it utilized to drive economic growth (which is all Trump's dumbass is really trying to do). And again, I'd be stupendously surprised if you were in that group given what you've learned from this thread alone.

I actually anticipated that the attacks on the NPS would be a hell of a lot worse because it isn't going get more dramatic than what they do out of the gate with DOGE's reckless cut-throat influence. The most they could manage is cutting around 5% of a 20,000 strong workforce with hiring freezes put in place, and they're already having to rethink and walk that back before the first peak season under the new Admin has even arrived? It's becoming plainly obvious that the park service is not going to be "gutted" much less will we see genuine national treasures that generate billions in tourist revenue "sold off" to plutocrats and corporations.

As long as commercial activity is carefully managed, as I imagine that it is, then I don't have an issue.

It's not looking good for DJT based on this early decision, which also essentially affirms the authority of random federal district judges to shut down direct executive orders from the President. People genuinely believe he's going to be given free reign to clear cut 280 million fucking acres of public forest land? He really wants to do it that badly, huh. I guess we'll see.

Fair enough but that's a close decision there and if Trump can get one more pick on the court he might be able to ram some things through in the latter part of his term. But good that for now they've denied him that.

 

[Deorum]

It's a lot of land but my understanding is that a lot of that land isn't suitable for farming and the current system allows some of that land for grazing. And anyway in modern societies most people live in cities near the coasts so I think it makes sense to preserve or manage parts of the interior.

YES.

Our Trees Are Better Than Your Ruins

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed “An Act authorizing a Grant to the State of California of the Yo-Semite Valley, and of the Land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree Grove.” For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of...

ushistoryscene.com

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act authorizing a grant to the State of California of the Yosemite Valley, and of the land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree (Giant Sequoia) Grove. For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of land for public recreation and enjoyment had been given priority over the potential for material and financial advancement. Eight years later, in 1872, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.

These unprecedented acts of wilderness preservation laid the foundations for a now global model of national park creation. Everyone who today enjoys the natural wonders of the world owes such enjoyment to these preservation efforts in the early United States. Promotional materials for the early parks emphasized that, by traveling to these Western natural sites, Americans would be honoring the pioneering experiences of the early frontiersmen. Visitors could engage with the uniquely American history of westward expansion and in doing so, could achieve some physical and spiritual freedom.

Great American Pilgramage.

 

[Islam Imamate]

YES.

Our Trees Are Better Than Your Ruins

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed “An Act authorizing a Grant to the State of California of the Yo-Semite Valley, and of the Land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree Grove.” For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of...

ushistoryscene.com

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act authorizing a grant to the State of California of the Yosemite Valley, and of the land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree (Giant Sequoia) Grove. For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of land for public recreation and enjoyment had been given priority over the potential for material and financial advancement. Eight years later, in 1872, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.

These unprecedented acts of wilderness preservation laid the foundations for a now global model of national park creation. Everyone who today enjoys the natural wonders of the world owes such enjoyment to these preservation efforts in the early United States. Promotional materials for the early parks emphasized that, by traveling to these Western natural sites, Americans would be honoring the pioneering experiences of the early frontiersmen. Visitors could engage with the uniquely American history of westward expansion and in doing so, could achieve some physical and spiritual freedom.

Great American Pilgramage.

YES.

Our Trees Are Better Than Your Ruins

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed “An Act authorizing a Grant to the State of California of the Yo-Semite Valley, and of the Land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree Grove.” For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of...

ushistoryscene.com

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act authorizing a grant to the State of California of the Yosemite Valley, and of the land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree (Giant Sequoia) Grove. For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of land for public recreation and enjoyment had been given priority over the potential for material and financial advancement. Eight years later, in 1872, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.

These unprecedented acts of wilderness preservation laid the foundations for a now global model of national park creation. Everyone who today enjoys the natural wonders of the world owes such enjoyment to these preservation efforts in the early United States. Promotional materials for the early parks emphasized that, by traveling to these Western natural sites, Americans would be honoring the pioneering experiences of the early frontiersmen. Visitors could engage with the uniquely American history of westward expansion and in doing so, could achieve some physical and spiritual freedom.

Great American Pilgramage.

Wow I did not know that, in my mind I always associated Teddy with the emergence of conservation here in the US but at the same time it's often the case that those we credit with creating something are in fact building on what they inherit from a predecessor and that seems to be the case here.

 

[lifelessheap]

Timber is renewable. Its dumb for us to buy it from other countries.

I lived in the mountains and forest in NorCal. I cut down like 20 olive trees and 7 old growth oaks. The explosive growth from all the smaller trees that finally got to see the sun was incredible. They shot up like crazy. Trees are a renewable resource.

 

[Deorum]

I bet you'd care if some alien species decided we were expendable so they could buy more cheap plastic shite.

Seriously.

Wow I did not know that, in my mind I always associated Teddy with the emergence of conservation here in the US but at the same time it's often the case that those we credit with creating something are in fact building on what they inherit from a predecessor and that seems to be the case here.

Just when you thought Honest Abe couldn't get any greater, huh. The most capitalistic nation on earth has the world's greatest conservation system. Teddy is so closely tied to the movement because he was genuinely peerless; he basically took a seedling and grew it into a Giant Sequoia. There are few presidents who have ever wielded the office with such force and action had to be taken by the legislature to curtail it, lol. TR is single-handedly responsible for the protection of over 225 million acres of American wilderness in the form of 150 national forests, 55 wildlife refuges, and 18 national monuments (six of which were later upgraded to full fledged national park designation by Congress). He was the foremost protector of the Grand Canyon, which constitutes the greatest geological spectacle to be found on the planet for a number of reasons.



^^ This photo is proudly framed and displayed inside the Roughrider Saloon next to the North Rim visitor center at the Grand Canyon (@Rob Battisti / @Long Dark Blues). It cracks me up every time I see it, just impossible not to smile. What a fucking legend.

 

[Rob Battisti]

Seriously.



Just when you thought Honest Abe couldn't get any greater, huh. The most capitalistic nation on earth has the world's greatest conservation system. Teddy is so closely tied to the movement because he was genuinely peerless; he basically took a seedling and grew it into a Giant Sequoia. There are few presidents who have ever wielded the office with such force and action had to be taken by the legislature to curtail it, lol. TR is single-handedly responsible for the protection of over 225 million acres of American wilderness in the form of 150 national forests, 55 wildlife refuges, and 18 national monuments (six of which were later upgraded to full fledged national park designation by Congress). He was the foremost protector of the Grand Canyon, which constitutes the greatest geological spectacle to be found on the planet for a number of reasons.



^^ This photo is proudly framed and displayed inside the Roughrider Saloon next to the North Rim visitor center at the Grand Canyon (@Rob Battisti / @Long Dark Blues). It cracks me up every time I see it, just impossible not to smile. What a fucking legend.

I love it. I wish this subforum allowed uploads. I have a 1940s oil painting of TR in my office. He’s holding his signature whipping stick.