Summarize and compare the selections by john muir, gifford pinchot, and aldo leopold from the book environmental studies (second edition) and evaluate and explain your opinions regarding each individual

Preservation vs . Conservation

Environmental Ideology from Muir , Pinchot , and Leopold

John Muir , Gifford Pinchot , and Aldo Leopold are three influential figures responsible for shaping the foundations of the ideologies of the modern environmental movements . However , although Muir , Pinchot , and Leopold represented the grave environmental concern , they also represented the rift between preservationists and conservationists . This ideological divide among environmental groups arose from widely-differing assumptions , beliefs , and attitudes on how nature and the environment should be seen in the one hand , and how human role in relation to nature and the

environment should be defined . Thus , despite the fact that Muir , Pinchot , and Leopold were among the most important environmentalists of their time , irreconcilable ideological differences kept them from successfully working together for environmental causes and initiatives In The Mountains of California ' John Muir provides a detailed of the mountainous features of the Sierra Nevada and natural formations in the Yosemite Valley , including the animals and plants that are found in these habitats . Muir informs the readers not only of his impressions of the play of light on the slopes of the mountains but also describes his awe of the beauty of nature found in the California mountain range . In this sense , Muir advances the idea that human beings should not be allowed to destroy the things created by nature . Along this line , Muir suggests that wildlife and other things in nature should not be subject to human activities that aim to make a profit out of natural resources

Meanwhile , Aldo Leopold uses the s of his encounters and experiences with nature in A Sand County Almanac , and Sketches Here and There ' to illustrate the fact that modernization and industrial development has alienated human beings from the biotic community . He further argues that human intervention and activities in the aim of making nature more profitable or less hostile to human beings , such as killing deadly predators , have managed to offset the natural balances which have had catastrophic results for animal and plant life in many habitats . Leopold therefore advocates for human beings to establish a harmonious relationship with nature based on the land ethic ' which emphasizes the human obligation to preserve the dignity of the earth and everything found in it and not to do anything that would degrade and harm the natural environment

In an essay excerpt from his work The Fight for Conservation Gifford Pinchot states his concern about the impact of environmental devastation on business activities and human life and argues for greater state intervention in managing natural resources to ensure sustainable use and to deter unscrupulous exploitation of these resources . In essence , Gifford advocates for a reform not only in how modern American society viewed its natural resources to be inexhaustibe but also for a concrete reform in natural resource policy to implement measures to manage forests and other resources . Hence , Gifford argues for the implementation of management programs in the aim of averting future natural resource depletion crises that would have adverse effects on the...