The Birth of Public Lands

Discover the clash of philosophies behind the birth of public lands and its relevance to collaborating across ideological divisions today. Based on the instructor’s book, “Natural Rivals: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the Creation of America’s Public Lands,” discuss the opposing concepts of conservation and preservation. John Muir, sometimes called the Father of the National Parks, was a renowned American naturalist who protected Yosemite and co-founded the Sierra Club. Gifford Pinchot established the U.S. Forest Service and advised his friend Theodore Roosevelt on environmental policy.