John Muir
“When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world.” – John Muir
John Muir (1838-1914) was one of America’s earliest environmental advocates. Born in Scotland, Muir migrated to the United States with his family in 1849. As an adult, he pursued his lifelong interest in the natural world and quickly became one of the nation’s most staunch advocates for environmental preservation. He spent many years living in Yosemite where he enjoyed the serene beauty of the area. He was an early advocate for making Yosemite into a national park and lobbied Congress to give Yosemite the same designation as Yellowstone National Park. In 1892, Muir founded the Sierra Club over which he presided until his death. Muir’s advocacy for a system of national parks was carried on by the Club after his death and generations since his death have continued to benefit from his efforts. The above quote is representative of Muir’s vision of and affinity for nature and is a great reminder to all of us that all things in nature are connected – we cannot touch one piece without touching the entirety.
Tags: John Muir, Sierra Club, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite
January 19th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
[...] Hetch Hetchy Valley, a “smaller mirror image” of the Yosemite Valley, is located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Although still boasting rugged, towering mountains, the area is below 4,000 feet in elevation, making it the lowest region of the park. Yosemite was declared a California state park in 1864 by a bill signed by President Abraham Lincoln. It was not until 1890 that Yosemite was declared a National Park, much to the credit of legendary naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir. [...]