The Fight For Conservation

by Gifford Pinchot

""The Fight For Conservation"" is a book written by Gifford Pinchot, an American conservationist and politician who served as the first Chief of the United States Forest Service. The book is a collection of essays and speeches that Pinchot gave throughout his career, advocating for the conservation of natural resources and the establishment of national parks and forests.Pinchot believed that natural resources should be managed in a sustainable way, with an eye towards preserving them for future generations. He argued that the government had a responsibility to protect public lands and regulate industries that might exploit them for profit. He also believed that conservation was an economic issue, as well as an environmental one, and that responsible management of natural resources could benefit both the environment and the economy.Throughout the book, Pinchot discusses a range of conservation issues, including the importance of preserving wildlife, the need for forest management, and the benefits of establishing national parks. He also addresses criticisms of the conservation movement, such as accusations that it was anti-business or that it favored the wealthy over the working class.""The Fight For Conservation"" is a seminal work in the history of American conservationism, and it continues to be relevant today as debates over environmental policy and natural resource management continue. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of conservationism or the ongoing struggle to protect the environment.The most valuable citizen of this or any other country is the man who owns the land from which he makes his living. No other man has such a stake in the country. No other man lends such steadiness and stability to our national life. Therefore no other question concerns us more intimately than the question of homes. Permanent homes for ourselves, our children, and our Nation--this is a central problem. The policy of national irrigation is of value to the United States in very many ways, but the greatest of all is this, that national irrigation multiplies the men who own the land from which they make their living.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment

60 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

1865-1946.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fight for Conservation is a compendium of essays and speeches given by Gifford Pinchot, one of the founders of the modern conversation movement. Published in 1910-I am not sure if it was before or after the Big Burn, after being expelled by William Howard Taft as being the Head Forester of the US Forest Service, Pinchot lays out his thoughts on how conservation benefits America.
Because this is all Pinchot, there is a good part in that you are reading the thoughts of what conservation is. You are getting the frame work of where we are today with the offspring of Pinchot and Roosevelt's thoughts, such as the ecology movement. On the other hand, as a book, you are only hearing Pinchot's voice and there tends to be reputation. Also much of the conservation movement has not followed Pinchot's thoughts.

As you read him and about him, you realize that today we are a far distance from what his vision was. Today, we want to conserve for the sake of things. Pinchot wanted to conserve so that the common person and future generations could use and enjoy America's resources. Read the book for the man's thoughts, but not for his prose; read for what he wanted for America, not for what the movement has become.

For more of my thoughts, see my blog.

[Galicius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gifford Pinchot’s “The Moral Issue” Chapter VII from The Fight for Conservation argues for environmentalism, forestry and water use specifically. He was the first Chief of the US Forest Service 1905-10 and a forester and politician. He was governor of PA from 1923 to 1927. His is a strong argument for keeping non-renewable resources in the hands of the people and not selling them off to a few to profit.
“the people have the right and the duty and that is their duty no less than their right, to protect themselves against the uncontrolled monopoly of the natural resources..Conservation is a moral issue because it involves the rights and the duties of our people—their rights to prosperity and happiness, and their duties to themselves, to their descendants, and to the whole future progress of this Nation.” p. 88

[Paul Chakroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 1910 book for 2020

Pinchot's 1910 book is a must read for those of us looking at America's plans for mitigating climate change in the 21st Century.