John Muir

Protecting Wild Land with John Muir

Prior to writing this paper I never heard of John Muir, nor did I even know what an environmentalist was; so I had to do a little research on the topic. Environmentalism is a concern for the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment, natural resources, prevention of pollution, and certain land use actions. (Wikipedia) An environmentalist is someone who is concerned about the harmful effects of human activity in the environment, or a group or organization whose aims are to protect the environment and to increase public awareness of environmental issues. Without a doubt, by any definition both Rudy Mancke and John Muir would be considered by anyone as environmentalists that live and breathe the outdoors.

Who exactly is John Muir? John Muir was born 1838 in Scotland and died in 1914. To many, John was known as one of America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist. He is one of California's most important historical personalities. He has been called "The Father of our National Parks," "Wilderness Prophet," and "Citizen of the Universe." John was one of eight children growing up and he used to write about hunting for bird nests as a child. When John was a young boy he didn’t originally have a love for the great outdoors and its inhabitants. John and his family moved to Wisconsin in 1849 and started the “Fountain Lake Farm,” this is how his love for the outdoors came to be.

John attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for many years where he took his first botany class. Not long after these college years John decided to leave school and pursue a career in the wilderness, as he called it. From 1866 to 1867 John worked as an industrial engineer in Indianapolis where an accident there almost caused him to lose his eyesight. (Wikipedia). After this incident Muir traveled to California to a place called Yosemite Valley. [pic]

While in California John took many jobs,...