Destruction Of Wilderness

In the late nineteenth century is was very difficult for Americans to preserve wilderness and to sustain human prosperity. As American population grows, and its needs and expectations put greater pressure on the environment. As the industry continued to develop this was destroying its natural resources’. Farmers were draining the nutrients from the soil, miner’s workers were destroying the topsoil, which was causing the soil to wear away, forests were decreasing, wildlife was becoming extinct, and rivers, lakes and air was be polluted all of this was destroying the wilderness. As the population continue to increase the need for fertile soil, clean water, clean air, and wildlife will be in high demand and highly necessary to human prosperity.
In 1892, things started to change. A man by the name of John Muir formed a club called Sierra Club. John fought for preservation, he was a supporter of preservation of wilderness, he taught people on how important it was to preserve the wilderness. He formed this club to help protect the land and keep private developers from buying them. He voice was not heard at first but eventually he got his message out.
The Sierra club and several other clubs that was formed convinced the federal government to pass a law regarding forest conservation. Once this law was in place people started to enjoy the wilderness. “As more people acquired access to wilderness, they came to appreciate its value” (Merchant, 147). “Wild nature was a treasure to be cherished and preserved, rather than an evil to be eliminated” (Merchant, 147).
So, in the end several laws were passed that made preserving wilderness possible and to sustain human prosperity. Americans began to appreciate the beauty and started utilizing what it had to offer.

Merchant, C. (2007). American environmental history. New York: Columbia University.