Conservation
Roosevelt, who was a sportsman, realized the importance of conservation (“There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country”, 1912) and helped to start massive conservation projects. Persuaded by conservationist Gifford Pinchot, head of the federal Division of Forestry, Roosevelt set aside huge areas of land for conservation. In 1902, the Newlands Act, which helped establish irrigation projects for the states in the west, was passed. The Roosevelt Dam, which was built on the Arizona River, was also built in 1911. By 1900, Roosevelt had realized that only one quarter of the country’s natural timberland still existed, so he set aside 125 million acres of land for conservation. The conservation of the land led to books like Call of the Wild, the establishment of the Boy Scouts of America, and the creation of the Sierra Club. Roosevelt’s efforts towards conservation also led to the building of the dam in Hetchy Hetch Valley, which would become part of Yosemite National Park. On a side note, Roosevelt tended to work with the big logging companies, not the small and independent companies. In the photos to the left, Roosevelt is standing amongst nature and the large American frontier, as he endeavors to conserve the land and its resources.