History Of Conservation And Preservation Efforts - 1537 Words

History of Conservation Along with Yosemite’s natural and human history, there is also an immense history of conservation and preservation efforts. There have been many failures, attempts, and successes in conserving the marvelous national park we know as Yosemite. From its establishment as a national park, to the transfer of the Yosemite Grant to Yosemite National Park, to the damming of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, great efforts have been made to preserve the breathtaking landscape of Yosemite. Even though Yosemite Valley was legally and officially protected since 1864 by the passing of the Yosemite Grant, it developed into a cluttered series of roads, hotels, cabins, and pastures because of remiss state management. John Muir, a†¦show more content†¦Since Muir was a well-known writer at this point, Johnson posed the idea that Muir would become public voice of a campaign created to preserve Yosemite as a national park. After returning from their trip to Yosemite, Muir and Johnson started a media campaign in order to generate public support for their cause: making Yosemite a national park. Muir wrote two articles for Century Magazine that praised the captivating beauty of Yosemite and the horrible threats that it faced. They further increased efforts to make Yosemite a national park by giving speeches around the country. With the support of the public, Muir and Johnson’s tireless efforts finally payed off. In 1890, Yosemite was appointed a national park. Despite the designation of Yosemite as a national park, the original Yosemite Grant, which protected Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove, still remained under the protection of California. However, the state was not up to the task of maintaining those two areas. John Muir believed that in order to be truly protected and salvaged, both Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove needed to be permanently moved to Yosemite National Park. This time, however, it was a lot more difficult as there was not as much support from people. Many hotel owners in Yosemite Valley opposed this idea with great determination because they were afraid that their businesses would be shut down if the grant was transferred to the federal government. In 1903, President Theodore