“There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country. Just as we must conserve our men, women and children, so we must conserve the resources of the land on which they live.”
On this day in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt was born in Manhattan. Although widely remembered for his political achievements and rugged cowboy persona, fewer recall that Roosevelt was a naval history scholar, expert ornithologist, wilderness explorer, cattle rancher, first-descent whitewater paddler, prolific author, and a terrible shot.
Roosevelt’s life was marked by astounding personal hardship and misfortune. Yet throughout his life, his primary source of inspiration and solace was the natural world. As a frail and asthmatic youth, the precocious Roosevelt fancied himself a naturalist and taxidermist, creating the “Roosevelt Museum of Natural History” at age nine. And as a young man, Roosevelt gradually overcame his timid demeanor and maladies through physical exertion, athletics, and wilderness expeditions.
While president, Roosevelt spent much of his free time at a secluded, rustic hunting cabin in the mountains of Virginia, and was known to stroll the grounds of the White House bird watching and recording precise observations of urban wildlife. He undertook wilderness expeditions with John Muir and other leading explorers and naturalists of his day. He was even known to swim the Potomac River during the winter months. And following his presidency, he nearly died on a canoeing expedition through the uncharted Amazon wilderness.
Today it’s difficult to imagine a president whose main political platform is environmental protection. Yet for Roosevelt, whose experiences in the natural world were so deeply formative, his personal sense of obligation to protect the natural resources of the United States was primary. He clearly recognized the unique environmental threats of his day, and fought tirelessly to preserve millions of acres of land in the face of westward expansion and industrialization.
Today we are the beneficiaries of Roosevelt’s conservation efforts, and we honor his legacy by continually endeavoring to enhance human welfare while promoting the wise stewardship of natural resources.
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