Natural Enemies: Growing Views on Conservation
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Muir and his preservationists, on the other hand, valued nature for its inherent spiritual and transcendental qualities. They argued that wild environments should be preserved for natural beauty, scientific study, and recreation without imposed human development. In order to combat the federally supported and powerful commercial forces of utilitarian conservation, the preservationists formed ‘associations’ so that they could stand toe-to-toe in their fight to preserve the wilderness.
Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1882 in order to protect the Sierra Nevada mountain range with the mission to:
To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.1
Although many other outdoor recreation and conservation clubs had been formed since the 1870s, the Sierra Club is considered to be the first preservation-focused organization in the world to utilize political lobbying for environmental protection.
Preservation, the underdog of conservationism, was fiercely championed for generations by grassroots activist leaders such as John Muir (1838-1914), Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), John S. Apperson Jr. (1878-1963), Howard Zanhiser (1906-1964), Paul Schaefer (1908-1996), and many others. Their persistent efforts led preservation to overtake utilitarian conservation in mainstream, regulatory practice with the passing of the federal Wilderness Act of 1964.
John Apperson and Paul Schaefer crusaded to protect the wilderness for nearly a century, from Apperson’s arrival in New York in 1900 to Paul Schaefer’s passing in 1996. Apperson borrowed from John Muir’s Sierra Club
organizational model to develop a productive, agile, and dynamic political operation. By building a network of environmental organizations, Apperson effectively fought the special interests that sought to exploit the Adirondack region. Behind the veil of these groups, he maintained personal anonymity while also deploying a wide base of active support when needed. With the combined power of these organizations, Apperson was able to engage in environmental debates at the highest level.
Apperson and Schaefer were passionate environmental advocates. Apperson described conservation as “his religion”2 and raised awareness through organizations, camps, guided hikes, retreats, documentary filmmaking and photography. Schaefer, a protégé of Apperson, declared wilderness to be a civil right. A gifted organizer, Schaefer had the ability to unite factious groups. He brought countess new advocates to the preservationist cause, helped shape a national campaign to preserve the wilderness, and built a foundation for the future of New York environmentalism.