Hetch-Hetchy Water Project: Then & Now The Hetch-Hetchy valley was initially a V shaped ravine that had been slowly carved out over time by the ancient Tuolumne River. After some glacial formations occurred during the last glacial period the valley was carved into what it appears as today around 10,000 years ago due to the melting of the glaciers. After the glaciers had finished melting they formed the alluvial flood plain that composes the valley’s floor. In comparison to the other similar valleys
The Dam Debate In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, John Muir, a naturalist, and Marsden Manson, an engineer for the city of San Francisco, engaged in a heated debate over the construction of a dam in Hetchy Hetchy Valley. Muir wanted to preserve nature for the future, so he objected to the dam because he felt it would destroy the beauty of the area. On the other hand, Manson believed building a dam would provide water and electricity to the thousands of people who lived in the city of San
Women’s Lives. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991. 43. Web. Merchant, Carolyn. The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology, and the Scientific Revolution. San Francisco: Harper, 1980. 270. Print. Richardson, Elmo R. "The Struggle for the Valley: California's Hetch Hetchy Controversy, 1905-1913." California Historical Society Quarterly. 38.3 (1959): 249-258. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Malibu has been burning ever since it’s been known to mankind. The geographic condition along with fierce Santa Ana wind has made it the perfect burning zone. Yosemite is prone to fire because of its natural condition but not to the extent like Malibu. Malibu has been inhabited for more than a century. Malibu is a place where people went to settle down because of the natural beauty. Mountains along with pacific shoreline are the perfect dream location for many reality businesses. All these natural
The key issue that I have focused on during my student teaching was, developing students’ abilities to interpret and analyze primary documents. Learning how to interpret any document is a lifelong skill a person needs to learn and be able to use. A person must know what the author is saying in any piece of writing. My students will encounter this throughout their lives here at the High School and beyond the classroom. One of my first concerns early on that I stated in my first reflection log was
Since the rise of the American environmental romanticism the idea of preservation and conservation have been seen as competing ideologies. Literary scholars such as Thoreau and Muir have all spoke to the defense of our natural lands in a pristine, untouched form. These pro-preservation thinkers believed in the protecting of American lands to not only ensure that future generations will get to experiences these lands, but to protect the heavily rooted early American nationalism in our natural expanses
Born in 1934, Jerry Uelsmann grew up an inner city kid of Detroit. In high school, Uelsmann worked as an assistant for a photography studio; he eventually photographed weddings. Uelsmann went to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where he met Minor White, who “introduced [him] to the concept that photography could be used for self-expression” (Berman). While at RIT, he studied with Bruce Davidson, Peter Turner and Car Chiaraenza, with whom he held frequent discussions on how photography could
Malibu and Yosemite share similar ecosystem, which encourages wildfires and periodic firestorms. In his book Ecology of Fear, Mike Davis argues that Malibu should burn because wildfires are a part of its history. To illustrate his point, he relates numerous historical events from the first settlement of the region to modern days. Despite the high frequency of wildfires in Malibu, humans have continued to settle there in droves. Those settlers have fought the fires, which has done nothing but augment
Conservation and Preservation at the Turn of the 19th Century Missing Works Cited The environmentalist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries presents a picture of America at the time: torn between the desires to expand while seeking to protect nature. Although all members of the movement sought to protect nature, there were two predominant schools as to how to go about this. In their two philosophies, they created two methods for human interaction with the wilderness. The conservationist
Common pool resources have long stood as the obstacle for human’s domain over the Earth. Humans have successfully conquered many frontiers, whether it has been the vast and almost endless open oceans or the dry and arid deserts across the world. With persistent exploration, discovery, and through new science advancements, humans have learned to not only become familiar with these new frontiers but have learned to exploit them. But when it came to utilizing these frontiers, common pool resources often
John Muir's Trail in History John Muir was a man of great importance in the history of the United States and in the preservation of it's beauty. His tireless efforts to protect natural wonders such as Yosemite Valley demonstrated his undying love for the outdoors. Muir took a stand against the destructive side of civilization in a dauntless battle to save America's forest lands. The trail of preservation that Muir left behind has given countless numbers of people the opportunity to experience nature's
A fight to preserve wildlife became known, another example is the fight that if San Francisco should permitted to augment its water supply by damming the Tuolumne River in the Hetch Hetchy Valley, even though the fight was a loss Hetch Hetchy became one of battle cries to preserving nature’s wilderness, Cronon cites the Endangered Species Act and suggested trying to protects on the backs of one or two endangered species is not proper species survival tactics
movement, and he had an enormous impact on peoples outlook on the environment long after his time on this Earth. John Muir was one of the worlds first environmental activists. His actions helped to preserve places like Sequoia National Park, Yosemite Valley, and countless other wilderness areas. John Muir co-founded one of the most influential, and successful conservation organizations in the United States, which is still very influential to this day (Encyclopedia of Biography, 2010). Muir has been
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold is a detailed primary source that offers the reader an extensive viewpoint on the relationship between humans and nature. Aldo Leopold’s desire in his thesis is to present his infamous theory on Land Ethics, which states the preservationist viewpoint about the obligation humans have of protecting the land in which they inhabit. Specifically, Leopold makes an observation about the harm of recreational activities and the impact of human nature that he wants his
John muir was known as “the father of all national parks” and supported the national park idea. John was the one of the reasons yosemite is a national park. He also toured the forests with teddy roosevelt. He is one of the reason we have national parks. He figured out how the national park yosemite was created. Muirs love of nature was sparked by a factory accident that temporarily blinded him. After the accident he decided to walk from indiana to florida. he decided to learn as much about nature
Muir has a Redwood forest in San Francisco. Many people love Muir's love for exploration, and knowledge of nature. He continued his studies of glaciers, and as he continued he came to the sense that the glaciers were the reason for the carved out valleys and the canyons of Yosemite. Though other scientists didn't believe him he kept pushing for more
this country. However, many Californians do not aware of the opportunities that California brings. Yosemite National Park is a place that exists in a sunshine state, California. One of the many tributes to the incomparable beauty of the Yosemite Valley was the fact that it was the first area in the United States to be designated by the federal government as a park, and this beautiful piece of nature is located in the northern California area. Almost as important in the history of conservation as
way to drive their smaller competitors out of business who could not afford the additional costs. The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco led to water and power shortages, which caused officials to ask for a hydroelectric dam and reservoir in Hetch Hetchy Valley. Pinchot supported officials because he believed the project was for the greater good. President Theodore Roosevelt adopted progressive reforms and in the process helped reinvigorate the presidency. Roosevelt supported both conservationists
Preservationism: The Elixir of Greed? “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” Henry David Thoreau could not have been more lucid in his explanation as to why humans have this inherent trance that has become an unfortunate ethic for far too many people. An ethic of corrupted morals, misunderstandings, and improper knowledge, that could ultimately result in the demise of our beautiful planet. Thoreau is a man that took a philosophy and ethic to his
programs conservation of Roosevelt. Muir and the Sierra Club fought many "battles" to protect Yosemite and Sierra Nevada. The most dramatic campaign was to prevent a dam at Hetch Hetchy Valley, part of Yosemite National Park. In 1913, within four months of years of struggle, they lost the battle and the dam flooded the valley to supply the city of San Francisco with water. The next year, after visiting his daughter in the Mojave Desert, Muir died in a hospital in Los Angeles. John Muir was the most