John Muir and Gifford Pinchot
John Muir and Gifford Pinchot are America’s most famous naturalists who spent most of their lifetime defending the natural resources as well as the wildlife during the nineteenth century. However, they held diverse ideas about the environment. According to Withgott & Laposata (2019), Muir believed that the wilderness should be preserved while Pinchot held that the environment should be conserved. Muir believed that the government should contribute to protecting nature as it contributes to human spiritual growth. Pinchot’s philosophy focused on managing while utilizing nature without harming it.
John Muir believed that the wilderness should be preserved. He worried that the increasing demands for resources could threaten national parks. Muir saw value in the natural environment in and of itself without the need to define a human use for resources. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the development of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. He said, “These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the mountains, lift them to dams and town skyscrapers.”( Magoc, 2011 p.66). He emphasized on the importance of nature as he saw it as an ideal venue where people can use it as a recreation ground for soul and body. He believed that natural resources are gifts from God, and therefore they should be respected and revered without human intrusion (Withgott & Laposata 2019).
Gifford Pinchot thought that the environment should be conserved. Pinchot talk about the value and optimal use of nature as that people should give up national resources when needed, and parks should benefit the people. He advocated the efficient use of natural resources. He believed that public wilderness areas could be used as a source of income for the country if the resources were handled optimally. According to Magoc (2019 p. 67), “Conservation does mean provision for the future, but it also means and first of all the recognition of the right of the present generation to the fullest necessary use of all the resources with which this country is so abundantly blessed. Conservation demands the welfare of this generation first, and afterward the welfare of the generations to follow.”
In conclusion, John Muir and Gifford Pinchot were leading naturalists during the 19th century who had conflicting thoughts on natural resources; however, their efforts in protecting the environment are remarkable. They devoted their life safeguarding the world’s natural resources. Muir was a preservationist, while Pinchot was a conservationist. Muir was renowned with national park service while Pinchot with the forest service. Despite their rivalry, their efforts contributed significantly to protecting the environment.