Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2016 i Cobblestone American History and Current Events for Kids and Children

The first inhabitants of North America lived in balance with nature. Native Americans, for the most part, practiced sustainable living. They took what they needed for living without permanently destroying their natural surroundings. The concept of ownership—of land, creatures, air, or water—to the exclusion of others was an unfamiliar concept to them. That changed with the arrival of European settlers in the 1600s. The new world in which the Europeans landed was a wilderness compared with the cities that they had left behind. The vast, unknown places beyond their initial small settlements along the coast were strange and foreboding, and the first colonists struggled to survive. But in time, the small settlements became towns, and the towns became cities. People wanted more space, and Americans looked westward. They discovered good…

These men used their positions in the federal government to have a lasting impact on preservation and conservation. Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) In 1901, 42-year-old Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest U.S. president. His energy and determination redefined the powers of that office. He suggested important legislation and signed landmark laws that protected the health and welfare of Americans, and he established the United States as an emerging leader in foreign affairs. Roosevelt’s many accomplishments during his two terms in office were impressive, but his work to make conservation a national issue stands out. In 1887, years before he became president, he was one of the founders of the Boone and Crockett Club. The organization promoted the hunting of game animals and the protection of their habitats. Several years later, club members…

By the 20th century, people began to recognize the impact of humans on the environment. People and governments understood the need to establish greater protections. Here is a list of major U.S. laws or actions that have tried to address efforts to protect the environment for all living creatures. 1900 Lacey Act is the nation’s first federal law passed to protect wildlife, making it unlawful to trade fish, animals, and plants in violation of state, federal, Native American, or foreign laws. 1902 Newlands Reclamation Act supports federal construction of dams to irrigate small farms, and it places 230 million acres under federal protection. 1905 U.S. Forest Service is established within the Department of Agriculture to oversee national forests and grasslands. 1906 Antiquities Act gives the president authority to proclaim “historic…

Some of America’s conservationists didn’t necessarily start out to save wilderness areas. Here’s how a few pioneers in the movement forged their own unique paths. WILLIAM T. HORNADAY (1854–1937) During his early life, William T. Hornaday was more likely to kill wildlife than to save it. A sense of adventure took him to foreign lands to hunt for specimens. Hornaday once wrote that elephant hunting was “the grandest and most exciting of all field sports.” As chief taxidermist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Hornaday preserved and stuffed dead animals for display. He set up lifelike groups of preserved animals to show how the creatures looked in their natural settings. He wanted people to see and learn about wild animals. Then, in 1886, Hornaday went on a bison hunt…

The red wolf once roamed all along the East Coast and westward to parts of Texas. By the mid-1970s, however, it was on the brink of extinction. Viewed as a predator, it had been hunted aggressively, and its forest habitat had shrunk or was destroyed by development. By 1980, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had captured and identified the last 17 known wild red wolves. The endangered wolves were placed in captivity to try to restore their population. In 1987, red wolves were released into the wild in North Carolina to live in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. These and other efforts to restore the red wolf have found some success—between 50 and 75 red wolves now live in the wild, and nearly 200 red wolves live in captive…

Mission Statement: The Department of the Interior protects and manages the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities. Its nine bureaus (offices) are: • Bureau of Indian Affairs • Bureau of Land Management • Bureau of Ocean Energy Management • Bureau of Reclamation • Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement • National Park Service • Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • U.S. Geological Survey…

Sometimes, preservation and conservation need to occur on a larger scale. The environmental groups described below are among those dedicated to protecting resources all over the world—especially resources that all people share. Protecting the 71 Oceans cover 71 percent of the world’s surface. They are home to many different species of life, they regulate climate, and they absorb carbon dioxide. Hundreds of millions of people rely on oceans for sustenance. Concern for the conditions of oceans led to the founding of Oceana in 2001. Oceana takes an international view of how to support conservation and protection of the world’s oceans. With branches in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, and Asia, Oceana relies on scientific research to solve problems and helps shape government policies. It works to repair the…

John Muir believed that when people spend time in the wilderness, they are much more likely to care about it. So, in 1892, he and other supporters formed a special club to “make the mountains glad.” They called their organization the Sierra Club, after the mighty Sierra Nevada that frames Yosemite Valley. The club’s founding members helped people explore the Sierra Nevada. They taught about the plants, animals, and landforms of the area, and they tried to inspire people to preserve Yosemite Valley and other wild places. Today, more than 2 million people belong to the Sierra Club. It continues to help people explore, enjoy, and protect wild places. The group is especially committed to connecting children with nature. Not every child has easy access to ponds, forests, and other…

Although the Department of the Interior and its various bureaus are responsible for three quarters of public land, one organization outside the department handles the remaining public federal land: the U.S. Forest Service. It is part of the Department of Agriculture, which today oversees 154 forests and 20 grasslands—almost 200 million acres! The federal government’s involvement in forestry evolved over time. In 1876, a special agent within the Department of Agriculture was named to study the nation’s forests. In 1891, the Forest Reserve Act authorized the creating of “forest reserves” from public lands. By 1905, the Transfer Act gave the Bureau of Forestry the management of the nation’s forest reserves. At that time, the official name of the organization changed to the U.S. Forest Service. Today, the forest service does…

Until the 1920s, two reasons served as the main arguments in favor of protecting the wilderness: its beauty and its positive effects on the mental and physical health of people. But as the national parks encouraged tourists, with the people came crowds, cars, and services to make those visits comfortable. Some conservationists saw the altering of the parks to accommodate tourists as negative. They grew concerned about how to save places in their natural, original forms—unaltered by humans. By the 1930s, the belief grew that it was mankind’s responsibility to respect and care for Earth and develop a “land ethic.” Individual people realized that the only way wilderness conditions stood a chance against the expansion of civilization was for them to unite in some sort of grassroots conservation organization. In…

It takes commitment to overcome interests that stand in the way of protecting the environment. Meet three people who weren’t afraid to speak up to protect natural areas—and us. RACHEL CARSON (1907–1964) “What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?” Rachel Carson posed those questions in a 1950 article called “The Sense of Wonder.” Carson began her career as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She left the government in 1951 to write full-time. Her best-selling books, Under the Sea-Wind, The Sea Around Us, and The Edge of the Sea, made her famous as a freelance nature writer. Then, her 1962 book Silent Spring changed America’s view of the chemical age. The book outlined the dangers of…

Want to learn more about the organizations mentioned in this issue (plus a few extras)? Check out the Web sites included here. We’d also love to hear if nature and wilderness places are important to you. As some environmental issues become international concerns—such as global warming, climate change, nuclear power, threatened or endangered creatures, and pollution—it may be harder to get people around the world to agree on what actions to take. What do you think? What responsibilities do humans share when it comes to our impact on the natural world? Send your thoughts to the address below. Make sure to include your name and address and a note from a parent, guardian, or teacher acknowledging the originality of your work. We will share some of your responses in an…

Are you a budding scientist or conservationist? Citizen science projects such as BioBlitz, FrogWatch USA, and Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count are all ways that you can get involved in learning about your natural world. How does it work? Well, scientists, families, students, teachers, and community members of all ages and backgrounds compile data about biodiversity. National Geographic’s BioBlitz focuses on all living creatures, their habitats, their natural processes, and their ecosystems. Volunteers at national parks collect and identify as many species as possible of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and organisms in a single 24-hour span. Volunteers in FrogWatch USA learn all about wetland habitats and the calls of local frogs and toads. Participants can share and review collected data and explore maps and graphs of other citizen scientists. Audubon’s Christmas…