Download or read book The Battle over Hetch Hetchy written by Robert W. Righter and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-03-17 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire, the city of San Francisco desperately needed reliable supplies of water and electricity. Its mayor, James Phelan, pressed for the damming of the Tuolumne River in the newly created Yosemite National Park, setting off a firestorm of protest. For the first time in American history, a significant national opposition arose to defend and preserve nature, led by John Muir and the Sierra Club, who sought to protect what they believed was the right of all Americans to experience natural beauty, particularly the magnificent mountains of the Yosemite region. Yet the defenders of the valley, while opposing the creation of a dam and reservoir, did not intend for it to be maintained as wilderness. Instead they advocated a different kind of development--the building of roads, hotels, and an infrastructure to support recreational tourism. Using articles, pamphlets, and broadsides, they successfully whipped up public opinion against the dam. Letters from individuals began to pour into Congress by the thousands, and major newspapers published editorials condemning the dam. The fight went to the floor of Congress, where politicians debated the value of scenery and the costs of western development. Ultimately, passage of the passage of the Raker Act in 1913 by Congress granted San Francisco the right to flood the Hetch Hetchy Valley. A decade later the O'Shaughnessy Dam, the second largest civil engineering project of its day after the Panama Canal, was completed. Yet conflict continued over the ownership of the watershed and the profits derived from hydroelectrocity. To this day the reservoir provides San Francisco with a pure and reliable source of drinking water and an important source of power. Although the Sierra Club lost this battle, the controversy stirred the public into action on behalf of national parks. Future debates over dams and restoration clearly demonstrated the burgeoning strength of grassroots environmentalism. In a narrative peopled by politicians and business leaders, engineers and laborers, preservationists and ordinary citizens, Robert W. Righter tells the epic story of the first major environmental battle of the twentieth century, which reverberates to this day.

Download or read book Hetch Hetchy A History in Documents written by Char Miller and published by Broadview Press. This book was released on 2020-01-30 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation approving the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam to inundate the Hetch Hetchy Valley inside Yosemite National Park. This decision concluded a decade-long, highly contentious debate over the dam-and-reservoir complex to supply water to post-earthquake San Francisco, a battle that was dramatic, unsettling, and consequential. Hetch Hetchy: A History in Documents captures the tensions animating the long-running controversy and places them in their historical context. Key to understanding the debate is the prior and violent dispossession of Indigenous Nations from the valley they had stewarded for thousands of years. Their removal by the mid-nineteenth century enabled white elite tourism to take over, setting the stage for the subsequent debate for and against the dam in the early twentieth century. That debate contained a Faustian bargain: to secure an essential water supply for San Francisco meant the destruction of the valley that John Muir and others praised so highly. This contentious situation continues to reverberate, as interest groups now battle over whether to tear down the dam and restore the valley. Hetch Hetchy remains a dramatic flashpoint in American environmental culture.

Download or read book Dam written by John Warfield Simpson and published by Random House of Canada. This book was released on 2005 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A lively study of America's first environmental battle describes how, in 1913, Congress authorized the construction of the Hetch Hetchy Dam and Reservoir within the bondaries of Yosemite National Park, chronicling the intrigues that surrounded the project, profiling participants in the debate, and the implications of Hetch Hetchy for American attitudes toward environmental stewardship. 10,000 first printing.

Download or read book The Yosemite written by John Muir and published by Binker North. This book was released on 1912 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the classic nature work, The Yosemite, the great American naturalist, John Muir, describes the Yosemite valley's geography and the myriad types of trees, flowers, birds, and other animals that can be found there. The Yosemite is among the finest examples of John Muir nature writings.The Yosemite is a classic nature/outdoor adventure text and a fine example of John Muir nature writings. In this volume, Muir describes the Yosemite valley's geography and the various types of trees, flowers and animals that can be found there. John Muir (April 21, 1838 - December 24, 1914) was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. The 211-mile (340 km) John Muir Trail, a hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, was named in his honor.[2] Other such places include Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier. In Scotland, the John Muir Way, a 130 mile long distance route, was named in honor of him. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. He petitioned the U.S. Congress for the National Park bill that was passed in 1890, establishing Yosemite National Park. The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas. He is today referred to as the "Father of the National Parks" and the National Park Service has produced a short documentary about his life. Muir has been considered 'an inspiration to both Scots and Americans'. Muir's biographer, Steven J. Holmes, believes that Muir has become "one of the patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity," both political and recreational. As a result, his writings are commonly discussed in books and journals, and he is often quoted by nature photographers such as Ansel Adams. "Muir has profoundly shaped the very categories through which Americans understand and envision their relationships with the natural world," writes Holmes. Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental consciousness. According to author William Anderson, Muir exemplified "the archetype of our oneness with the earth", [ while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his mission was "...saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism." 403 On April 21, 2013, the first ever John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist. Muir was born in the small house at left. His father bought the adjacent building in 1842, and made it the family home.

Download or read book Hetch Hetchy written by Beverly Hennessey and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When water from the Sierra Nevada reached the San Francisco Bay area in 1934, it was greeted by a national celebration after two decades of grueling construction. The Hetch Hetchy Project evolved from a long search for a reliable source of water for San Francisco that began after the 1906 Great Earthquake. Prior to the earthquake, San Francisco had burned to the ground repeatedly due to the lack of water to fight fires. Studies of 14 different sources led to the design of an engineering marvel that conveys water using gravity across California via a complex system of tunnels, reservoirs, pipelines, powerhouses, treatment plants, and dams. But before the Hetch Hetchy Project broke ground, controversy roiled over the project. Finally, the Raker Act was passed by Congress in 1913 and signed by Pres. Woodrow Wilson to permit the use of the rights-of-way for the project. Today, this system serves some of the highest-quality water in the nation to 2.4 million people.

Download or read book Inter State written by José Vadi and published by Catapult. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A "must read" debut collection of poetic, linked essays investigating the past and present state of California, its conflicting histories and their impact on a writer's family and life (Los Angeles Times). California has been advertised as a destiny manifested for those ready to pull up their bootstraps and head west across to find wealth on the other side of the Sierra Nevada since the 19th century. Across the seven essays in the debut collection by José Vadi, we hear from the descendants of those not promised that prize. Inter State explores California through many lenses: an aging obsessed skateboarder; a self-appointed dive bar DJ; a laid-off San Francisco tech worker turned rehired contractor; a grandson of Mexican farmworkers pursuing the crops they tilled. Amidst wildfires, high speed rail, housing crises, unprecedented wealth and its underlying decay, Inter State excavates and roots itself inside those necessary stories and places lost in the ever-changing definitions of a selectively golden state.

Download or read book A Passion for Nature written by Donald Worster and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Donald Worster's A Passion for Nature is the most complete account of the great conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club ever written. It is the first to be based on Muir's full private correspondence and to meet modern scholarly standards, yet it is also full of rich detail and personal anecdote, uncovering the complex inner life behind the legend of the solitary mountain man. It traces Muir from his boyhood in Scotland and frontier Wisconsin to his adult life in California right after the Civil War up to his death on the eve of World War I. It explores his marriage and family life, his relationship with his abusive father, his many friendships with the humble and famous (including Theodore Roosevelt and Ralph Waldo Emerson), and his role in founding the modern American conservation movement. Inspired by Muir's passion for the wilderness, Americans created a long and stunning list of national parks and wilderness areas, Yosemite most prominent among them. Yet the book also describes a Muir who was a successful fruit-grower, a talented scientist and world-traveler, a doting father and husband, and a self-made man of wealth and political influence. The winner of numerous book awards, A Passion for Nature was also named a Best Book of 2008 by Washington Post Book World. It is the first comprehensive biography of Muir to appear in six decades.

Download or read book Mass Media and Environmental Conflict written by Mark Neuzil and published by SAGE Publications, Incorporated. This book was released on 1996-09-30 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Case studies of environmental conflicts in US history illustrate the interactions among the mass media, environmentalists, government, and various power groups, and examine battles over public land, wild animals, clean air, and workplace hazards. Discusses species depletion and the evolution of hunt

Download or read book A Year in the National Parks written by Stefanie Payne and published by . This book was released on 2018-05 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On January 1 of 2016, Stefanie Payne, a creative professional working at NASA Headquarters, and Jonathan Irish, a photographer with National Geographic, left their lives in Washington, D.C. and hit the open road on an expedition to explore and document all 59 of America's national parks during the centennial celebration of the U.S. National Park Service - 59 parks in 52 weeks - the Greatest American Road Trip. Captured in more than 300,000 digital photographs, written stories, and videos shared by the national and international media, their project resulted in an incredible view of America's National Park System seen in its 100th year. 'A Year in the National Parks, The Greatest American Road Trip' is a gorgeous visual journey through our cherished public lands, detailing a rich tapestry of what makes each park special, as seen along an epic journey to visit them all within one special celebratory year.

Download or read book The American Environment written by Roderick Nash and published by . This book was released on 1976-01-01 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Hetch Hetchy Dam Site written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Public Lands and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Hetch Hetchy written by Kenneth Brower and published by Heyday Books. This book was released on 2013 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1920's the thirsty city of San Francisco reached deep into Yosemite National Park to build the O'Shaughnessy Dam on the Tuolumne River, diverting one-third of the river's water and flooding the Hetch Hetchy Valley, said at the time to be as magnificent as Yosemite Valley itself. Brower envisages the species-by-species reclamation of the valley by its native flora and fauna as wildness flourishes again. Offering viable alternatives for restoration, Brower's Hetch Hetchy is both an exploration of the pitched battle over an environmental tragedy and an inspiring reverie of a possible future.

Download or read book Sierra Club Bulletin written by Sierra Club and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes section "Book reviews."

Download or read book Conservation and Environmentalism written by Robert Paehlke and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 1995 with total page 810 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Focusing on problems and solutions, this authoritative reference work covers all aspects of the environment, from the Everglades to the Himalayas, from legislation in Australia to pollution problems in Eastern Europe, from tropical rain forests to the Porcupine Caribou herd of the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic." "Some of the best-known environmental professionals from 14 countries around the world have written original articles for this multidisciplinary Encyclopedia, including Norman Myers, Eugene C. Hargrove, Reed F. Noss, Max Oelschlaeger, J. Baird Callicott, George Sessions, M. S. Swaminathan, Gilbert F. White, Michael E. Kraft, Michael P. Cohen, Paul Ekins, and many others."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Download or read book The Fight for Conservation written by Gifford Pinchot and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2024-01-03 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Fight for Conservation" by Gifford Pinchot is a seminal work in environmentalism, embodying Pinchot's lifelong dedication to conservation and stewardship. As a prominent conservationist, Pinchot passionately advocates for sustainable practices in managing natural resources, emphasizing the importance of ecological balance and preservation. Through his expertise in forestry and land management, Pinchot lays out a comprehensive framework for environmental policy, guiding readers towards a future of sustainable development. With a focus on wildlife protection and the establishment of national parks, Pinchot underscores the critical role of conservation in safeguarding our planet's biodiversity for future generations. At its core, "The Fight for Conservation" embodies Pinchot's vision of responsible stewardship, urging individuals and governments alike to prioritize the long-term health of our ecosystems. Through his eloquent prose and unwavering commitment to environmental advocacy, Pinchot inspires readers to join the fight for conservation, recognizing that the preservation of natural resources is essential for the well-being of both humanity and the planet. This book serves as a timeless manifesto for environmentalists and conservationists, offering invaluable insights into the principles of sustainability and the imperative of protecting our natural heritage.

Download or read book Managing California s Water written by Ellen Hanak and published by Public Policy Instit. of CA. This book was released on 2011 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Hetch Hetchy Project written by Michael Maurice O'Shaughnessy and published by . This book was released on 1930 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: General report of the dams, reservoirs, and aqueduct project to bring water from the Hetch Hetchy Valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to San Francisco. It described the construction, dams, elevation changes, tunnels, electric power system, and finance. With elevation graphs.