Term: conservation movement

Definition:

generally used to denote efforts to conserve natural resources ca. 1870-1930, before the start of the modern environmental movement about 1950. By the end of the 19th century, as the country became more urban and industrialized, many Americans grew increasingly aware of the value of nature as an economic, aesthetic, and spiritual resource. This movement led to initiatives to conserve natural resources and preserve wildlife and land. Conservation a coherent national policy was first introduced by President Theodore Roosevelt who in 1907 began withdrawing large areas of western public land from sale and settlement. Wisconsin became a center of conservation thinking and activity during the same years as Univ. of Wisconsin professor Charles R. Van Hise (q.v.) advised Roosevelt and Gov. Robert M. La Follette on conservation policies. View more information elsewhere at wisconsinhistory.org.