Theodore Roosevelt's Many Achievements
Before, during, and after Roosevelt's presidency, he did a lot of work to help preserve the environment. Many of the work he did was with the land itself, laws for the land, or projects with his companions. Theodore Roosevelt most greatly impacted forests, wildlife, historical landmarks, and even irrigation. Below are some of the greatest achievements by Theodore Roosevelt.
Forests
Back around the time of Roosevelt's life, deforestation was becoming a major issue. Lumber barons would clear-cut large forests, leaving behind acres of wasteland. This left behind a lot of problems. Floods became more prevalent because trees that would help absorb water were gone. Dust-storms resulted from the once fertile soil blowing to dust. Since the lumberjacks would leave behind stumps, branches, leaves, and other parts of the tree that they would not use, fires easily resulted when lightning would strike. The biggest issue was that many animals' environments were being destroyed, leaving them with nothing left to help them survive. Something had to be done.
Theodore Roosevelt, who practically worshiped trees, did something about it. In the late 1880s, Roosevelt took time out of the Civil Service Commission to form the Boone and Crockett Club, a group of naturalists who strived for conservation and the preservation of the environment. By 1891, the group was successful in persuading Congress to pass the Forest Reserve Act, which allowed the current president to set aside forest reserve areas from public sites. Later, when Roosevelt was president, he met Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot, who was head of the Division of Forestry at the time, thought that the previous presidents before Roosevelt had not done enough work under the Forest Reserve Act of 1891. Under the act, President Harrison, Cleveland, and McKinley had placed 50 million acres of land to be protected. Roosevelt went even further, working hard to add 150 million acres of land in his seven year presidency. Roosevelt's work had saved miles and miles of forest that probably would have been cut down or thrashed.
Theodore Roosevelt, who practically worshiped trees, did something about it. In the late 1880s, Roosevelt took time out of the Civil Service Commission to form the Boone and Crockett Club, a group of naturalists who strived for conservation and the preservation of the environment. By 1891, the group was successful in persuading Congress to pass the Forest Reserve Act, which allowed the current president to set aside forest reserve areas from public sites. Later, when Roosevelt was president, he met Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot, who was head of the Division of Forestry at the time, thought that the previous presidents before Roosevelt had not done enough work under the Forest Reserve Act of 1891. Under the act, President Harrison, Cleveland, and McKinley had placed 50 million acres of land to be protected. Roosevelt went even further, working hard to add 150 million acres of land in his seven year presidency. Roosevelt's work had saved miles and miles of forest that probably would have been cut down or thrashed.
Wildlife
"When I hear of the destruction of a species, I feel just as if the works of some great writer had perished"-Theodore Roosevelt
When Roosevelt lived in Dakota, he truly got to express his love of nature, wildlife, and trees. However, he also had to experience a lot of how terrible the wildlife was being treated. Hunting was become more and more popular, and some of the biggest affects were seen on bison and birds. In the 1870s, people discovered the uses of bison fur to make leather. Hunters then went crazy, killing whole herds of bison. They would then skin the bison and leave the rest of their rotting carcasses scattered around the plains. Roosevelt saw and wrote of these plains, noting that "these carcasses were in sight from every hillock, often lying over the ground so thickly that several score could be seen at once". The sights were depressing, especially for Native Americans, who had used every part of the bison they would hunt in order to help them survive. The slaughter of bison had nearly wiped out an entire species and a way of living.
The hunting of birds was also just as excruciating to experience. A lot of birds were killed just for fun, while some for profit. Hunters would challenge themselves to kill as many birds as possible just for the fun of it. Entire flocks of birds would be killed in minutes, and their bodies would be left there to rot. For the hunters who made a living out of it, they used birds for women fashion. They would kill large birds and take their feathers to make women's clothing. As a result, large flocks of pelicans, herons, egrets, and even the now extinct passenger pigeons were disappearing. Theodore Roosevelt, who was a huge lover of birds, was not happy with this at all.
It wasn't until the 20th century before Roosevelt could finally do something about the slaughter of the bison. By 1902, only 72 bison existed in America; 50 in Colorado and 22 in Yellowstone National Park. So in 1905, Roosevelt and his old Boone and Crockett Club formed the American Bison Society, in which Theodore was the president of. The society convinced the New York Zoological Gardens, a zoo that had about 900 protected bison, to give 15 bison to the federal government. Theodore Roosevelt then took those 15 bison and placed them on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, where the bison quickly multiplied. Roosevelt then created the National Bison Range in Montana and multiple refuges in South Dakota and Nebraska. Because of Roosevelt's work, he saved a beautiful species that was on the path to extinction.
In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt heard about Pelican Island, a small piece of land off the Indian River. Pelican Island was a land full of large colonies of egrets, pelicans, herons, and other birds that was recently being invaded by hunters. The federal government seemed to have no ability to stop them. However, Roosevelt was eager to do something about it. When told there were no laws against making the island a Federal Bird Reservation, that's exactly what Theodore did, also creating the first wildlife refuge. He would later go on to create the first 51 bird sanctuaries in the US. This achievement was one that would have greater impacts on Roosevelt's future.
The hunting of birds was also just as excruciating to experience. A lot of birds were killed just for fun, while some for profit. Hunters would challenge themselves to kill as many birds as possible just for the fun of it. Entire flocks of birds would be killed in minutes, and their bodies would be left there to rot. For the hunters who made a living out of it, they used birds for women fashion. They would kill large birds and take their feathers to make women's clothing. As a result, large flocks of pelicans, herons, egrets, and even the now extinct passenger pigeons were disappearing. Theodore Roosevelt, who was a huge lover of birds, was not happy with this at all.
It wasn't until the 20th century before Roosevelt could finally do something about the slaughter of the bison. By 1902, only 72 bison existed in America; 50 in Colorado and 22 in Yellowstone National Park. So in 1905, Roosevelt and his old Boone and Crockett Club formed the American Bison Society, in which Theodore was the president of. The society convinced the New York Zoological Gardens, a zoo that had about 900 protected bison, to give 15 bison to the federal government. Theodore Roosevelt then took those 15 bison and placed them on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, where the bison quickly multiplied. Roosevelt then created the National Bison Range in Montana and multiple refuges in South Dakota and Nebraska. Because of Roosevelt's work, he saved a beautiful species that was on the path to extinction.
In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt heard about Pelican Island, a small piece of land off the Indian River. Pelican Island was a land full of large colonies of egrets, pelicans, herons, and other birds that was recently being invaded by hunters. The federal government seemed to have no ability to stop them. However, Roosevelt was eager to do something about it. When told there were no laws against making the island a Federal Bird Reservation, that's exactly what Theodore did, also creating the first wildlife refuge. He would later go on to create the first 51 bird sanctuaries in the US. This achievement was one that would have greater impacts on Roosevelt's future.
Historic Landmarks
Theodore Roosevelt is possibly most famous for his work to establish historic monuments and landmarks. Before Roosevelt took office, there were 5 national parks and no national monuments. So Theodore changed that. After hearing of people vandalizing historic war battlefields and Native American burial sites, Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass the National Monuments Acts in 1906. Also known as the Antiquities Act, it was the first law that allowed the president to protect landmarks, structures, and objects by designating them as National Monuments. This was a very important achievement in the progress of conservation and preservation efforts in America. It was the first legal protection of cultural and natural resources in America and it created the basis for the federal government's efforts to protect sites from vandalism.
After signing the act into place in June of 1906, Roosevelt quickly turned around and named Devil's Tower, Wyoming the first National Monument later that year in September. He then went on to add 10 more monuments by the time he left office in 1909. To top it all off, Roosevelt created 5 more national parks, including Crater Lake National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Sully's Hill National Park, Platt National Park, and Mesa Verde National Park. Truly some of Roosevelt's greatest work had to do with historic landmarks and monuments.
After signing the act into place in June of 1906, Roosevelt quickly turned around and named Devil's Tower, Wyoming the first National Monument later that year in September. He then went on to add 10 more monuments by the time he left office in 1909. To top it all off, Roosevelt created 5 more national parks, including Crater Lake National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Sully's Hill National Park, Platt National Park, and Mesa Verde National Park. Truly some of Roosevelt's greatest work had to do with historic landmarks and monuments.
The Roosevelt Dam
The Roosevelt Dam is one of the most famous dams of all time. Completed in 1911 and located on the Salt River northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, Theodore Roosevelt built the dam as his first major project in his Reclamation Program. The Reclamation Act was created to design and construct irrigation projects to help the settlement of the arid west. Signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, Roosevelt immediately got working by creating the Roosevelt Dam. The Roosevelt Dam was essential in the beginning of the Reclamation Service and it also did a great job in providing water storage for the Salt River and controlling the amount of floods in the area.