Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2018 i Cobblestone American History and Current Events for Kids and Children

Many people find it difficult to pick one single feature that makes Yosemite National Park special. The park contains magnificent granite cliffs, domes, and spires. El Capitan is one of the largest granite monoliths in the world. It rises more than 3,000 feet above the valley floor. Half Dome may be the world’s most photographed rock. Climbers from around the world come to scramble up its 8,842-foot-high great cliffs. The park is home to some of the world’s tallest and most breathtaking waterfalls. Bridalveil Fall is the first waterfall visitors see upon entering Yosemite Valley. All combined, the Upper, Middle, and Lower Yosemite Falls represent the world’s tallest water fall drop at 2,425 feet. Ribbon Falls boasts the world’s tallest continuous drop, 1,612 feet. The park also has…

John Muir liked solitary walks in the mountains observing the trees. Theodore Roosevelt was a political and military leader of men. On the surface, the two men had little in common. But both men felt restored after spending time outdoors. Muir’s great affection for wilderness places and Roosevelt’s power to protect them proved to be a great combination. After Roosevelt became president in 1901, Muir wrote a letter to him. He told the president that America’s forests needed protection by the federal government. Roosevelt decided to see for himself. While planning a trip out west in 1903, Roosevelt included time for a stop at Yosemite. On May 15, Roosevelt and Muir took the train from San Francisco to the small town of Raymond, California. They rode in a carriage the…

Meet Olivia and Carter Ries of Georgia. The two teens were just seven and eight years old when an aunt “adopted” cheetahs in their names at a conservancy in South Africa. “Oh, my gosh!” said the children as they learned about species after species facing threats. That led them to start One More Generation (OMG) in 2009. They wanted to help endangered animals and protect the environment. Since then, the teens and other active members have engaged thousands of young people on environmental issues by speaking with school classes, businesses, and other groups. The teens have also traveled to South Africa, Vietnam, Costa Rica, France, Italy, Indonesia, and other countries as part of the group’s campaigns. COBBLESTONE caught up with them to talk more about One More Generation. WHAT WAS…

Would you like to climb among the ruins of an old castle? As a child, John Muir did. He spent many hours exploring a 1,000-year-old castle near his childhood home in Dunbar, Scotland. John was born on April 21, 1838, to Daniel and Ann Gilrye Muir. He was their third child and first boy. The family lived upstairs over the store that Daniel owned. As a child, John learned to love birds and flowers. John’s mother was gentle-hearted and loved flowers, and his grandfather took him on walks. But John’s father was stern and often harshly punished him. John was forced to memorize the Bible. Before he was 11 years old, he could recite the entire New Testament and most of the Old Testament. The Muir family grew to include…

Do you want to be like John Muir? You know, the man who turned his own “aha” moment into a career of conserving and preserving nature’s beauty and majesty. We thought you might, so here are 10 easy ways to get started. 1. Fall in love with nature. Take nature walks, go on camping trips, and visit the nation’s national parks. 2. Lose the “house habit,” as Muir called it. Get out of your house, go outdoors, and stay there. Muir called being in the wilderness being “inside.” 3. Get dirty. Be prepared to get wet, cold, hot, and dirty. That’s what rain jackets, mittens, cool drinks of water, and baths are for. 4. Wear a floppy hat. It will keep the sun off your face and keep your head…

Giant sequoias are remarkable organisms. John Muir claimed to have counted the rings of a dead sequoia that was more than 4,000 years old! The oldest living giant sequoia may be as much as 3,200 years old. The tallest living giant sequoia is more than 310 feet tall. The largest living organism by volume is the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park. It is 2,100 years old and 275 feet tall. That’s about the size of a 26-story building. Some of its branches are more than 7 feet thick! How do the trees live so long? Their bark can grow three feet thick. The trees also produce a substance called tannin. Both those factors protect the trees from disease and make them resistant to fire. And yet, the trees…

John Muir lived in a time before radio, television, or the Internet. So, writing articles and books were his way of sharing his love of wilderness places. He felt more connected to the world when he was in nature. And he wanted people to have that same experience. Here are some Muir quotes that capture his beliefs about the importance of nature. “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” “Keep…

People find different ways to support nature. IAN MCTAGGART-COWAN Ian McTaggart-Cowan is considered the father of Canadian ecology. He was a zoology professor with a talent for getting his students excited. His lectures at the University of British Columbia were always popular. He established the first wildlife department at a Canadian university. In 1955, he hosted Fur and Feathers. It was a children’s nature show that taught about various animals. McTaggart-Cowan went on to create other nature shows. One of the shows featured the first-ever footage of microscopic animals. Passionate about conservation, McTaggart-Cowan also worked to protect endangered species and to teach about the dangers of pesticides and about climate change. He presented at some of the Sierra Club’s Wilderness Conferences. WANGARI MAATHAI Born in 1940, Wangari Maathai…

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In 1904, the Sierra Club built a small lodge and visitor center in Yosemite National Park. Initially called the LeConte Memorial Lodge, it’s known today as the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center. It’s a great place to visit and learn about the park. It offers exhibits about the park’s history. The Colonel loved the big library of books and maps, which offer information about the men and women who have worked to protect Yosemite since the beginning. The squirrels quickly discovered the kids’ corner where they made some art projects and played games. I really enjoyed the free evening interpretive programs. They feature historians, authors, musicians, and photographers. We watched reenactors portray John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt! And we all were relieved to learn that the Sierra Club continues to…

The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are an endangered species. Twenty years ago, only about 100 of them were believed to be in existence. But concerned people stepped in to try to save them. Although their number has grown to about 600 animals today, that is not yet considered a full recovery. The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep live only in the Sierra Nevada. Their horns have a wide flair rather than a tight rounded curl. With their strong, stocky legs, the sheep are uniquely adapted for sure-footed scrambling over steep, slippery mountain rocks. John Muir, who was known to climb a mountain or two, marveled at their climbing ability.…

John Muir signed some of his journals “John Muir, Earth, Planet, Universe.” Think of yourself as more than just a citizen of your local community. What might that mean? How would you get other people to think of themselves as citizens of Earth, too? What would your message be? Muir was particularly fond of mountains and trees. Is there one aspect of nature that you love? Rivers? Lakes? Wildflowers? Birds? Maybe it’s mountains, too! Make a poster that captures your message and that can be used to inspire others.…

As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing,” John Muir wrote. He loved Yosemite National Park in California, with its forests, mountains, and glaciers. His desire to protect it and other natural areas led to the birth of the Sierra Club. Today, the nationwide organization continues to fight for environmental protection. Joining Together Muir was not the only person who felt restored by hikes in Yosemite. He became friends with other devoted early hikers. University of California, Berkeley, geology professor Joseph LeConte first visited Yosemite in 1870. Artist William Keith also visited Yosemite and met Muir in the early 1870s. Berkeley German language professor Joachim Henry Senger was familiar with the park, too. Muir, LeConte, Keith, Senger, attorney Warren Olney, and others began to meet…

Just like us, heroes are influenced by people they meet and by books they read. Two well-known authors had an impact on John Muir’s philosophy: Henry David Thoreau and this month’s mystery hero. The two authors also were dear friends. Muir had the pleasure of meeting this month’s hero, whom he so admired. Born in 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts, our hero was eight years old when his father died. His mother and a favorite aunt shaped his youth. They emphasized a good education. He started his formal education at age nine and then entered Harvard College at age 14. Although not at the top of his class, he was named class poet. He read an original poem he had written at a celebration a month prior to his graduation. He…