John Muir's Legacy

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In 1890, the U.S Census Bureau officially declared the frontier closed. Burgeoning cities and towns had sprung up across the nation, requiring more lumber and resources to accommodate the construction related to the new growth. While the “iron horse” connected the east and west coast and new wealth and businesses were being created, many cities endured the growing pains of rapid growth in population and industrialization and these “pains” were reflected in the wilderness and its ecosystems, as well. It did not go unnoticed. Some people began to have concerns about the changes they saw and one in particular brought the issue to the public at large. His name was John Muir and his efforts helped advance conservation, awareness and policy towards nature so profoundly, that his legacy still affects us today. The long reaching impact of the preservationist’s actions reflect his character. John Muir’s strong belief in the necessity of…show more content…
He helped found and establish the Sierra Club that lobbies for the conservation and preservation of nature, supports and develops serial reports on the environment, and importantly helped campaign for policy and national legislation that resulted in the establishment of regulatory functions on the federal level charged with safeguarding nature, endangered ecosystems, and human health and welfare, as well - the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency, to name a few. Currently, opponents of Muir’s legacy point to the environmental inequity of Muir’s ideology. The poor and minorities enjoy access to natural preserves and benefit disproportionately from them. Muir’s view of the intrinsic value of nature as “spiritual” and pristine only if humans are excerpted from the equation is a weak argument for efforts to continue and even increase conservation and preservation
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