Sustainability with Gifford and Muir

Gifford Pinchot was America's first professional forester and founder of the U.S. Forest Service. Gifford Pinchot was born in 1865 in Simsbury, Connecticut.Pinchot was an early advocate of wildlife and forestry in the United States. He set the standard for other foresters and environmentalists such as John Muir, who he met in New York in 1893. However, John Muir and Pinchot saw a clash in their different beliefs.Pinchot was the leader of the utilitarian wing of the early conservation movement,under President Theodore Roosevelt. Muir took the opposing side.On one hand, Muir crusaded for the preservation of wilderness, while Pinchot campaigned for utilitarian use of public lands. Their major battle came with the protection of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Their conflict ultimately saw a split between the preservation wing and the utilitarian wing of the conservation movement.

The Hetch Hetchy Valley was a small land area in Yosemite National Park. The City of San Francisco wanted a dam to be built in Hetch Hetchy Valley, which would supply much needed water to the city.The Preservationists, led by John Muir, were hugely opposed to the building of this dam. They felt that building a dam would destroy the natural beauty of the area. The Conservationists,led by Gifford Pinchot, felt that a dam would benefit the people greatly. In America, every newspaper jumped at the chance to follow the story and it even captured the nations' attention.

The Hetch Hetchy Valley battle was the first controversy about environmental and sustainability issues that garnered the whole country's attention. So, Gifford, in turn, is seen as an important catalyst for environmentalism. Gifford, however, is not seen as a big proponent of sustainability. He viewed sustainability as a barrier to progress. He basically thought that man trumped nature and being sustainable does not always benefit man. So, building a dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley was not a problem for him because it was necessary to supply water to the people. He did not take into account how the dam would hurt the land. So, Muir would definently be a greater backer of sustainability. He saw himself as one with nature while Gifford wanted nature for the taking. Though, Gifford and Muir are both good people to study in regards to sustainability because they both show the disadvantages and advantages of being sustainable. 

Gifford Pinchot and Hetch Hetchy Valley