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10,000 BCE
Agricultural Revolution
When there was an increased use of agriculture, rather than hunting and gathering. -
Industrial Revolution
When Europe and America transitioned into using factories and machines for mass production. -
John Muir
He was a very famous/influential naturalist and conservationist. Some people called him "Father of the National Parks" -
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Walden is a book by Henry David Thoreau, it is about living an ethical life in natural surroundings. -
Homestead Act
An act that allowed Americans over the age of 21 to put in a claim for 160 acres of land. -
Yellowstone National Park founded
On March 1, 1872 the world's first national park was created. President Ulysses S. Grant had signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act. -
American Forestry Association founded
The American Forestry Association was established in 1875, they are an organization created to help conserve forests. -
Yosemite plus Sequoia National Park founded
Yosemite and Sequoia are National Parks that were both founded in 1890, signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison. -
General Revision Act
The General Revision Act reversed previous policies involving land fraud, like the Timber Culture Act of 1873. -
Sierra Club founded
The Sierra Club is an environmental organization which was founded by John Muir in 1892. -
Lacey Act
The Lacey Act, which was established in 1900, prohibits trade of wildlife that has been illegally taken. -
Golden Age of Conservation (Theodore Roosevelt)
From 1901-1909 President Theodore Roosevelt helped to conserve the environment in the United States. Overall he protected about 230 million acres of public land. -
First National wildlife refuge established
On March 13, 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt established that Pelican Island was the first National wildlife refuge. -
US Forest Service founded
On February 1, 1905 the US Forest Service was founded, their goal is to sustain the forests and grasslands for future generations. -
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot had a big voice towards Americas conservation movement. -
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold was a well known conservationist, scientist, author, and environmentalist, and is most known for his book "A Sand County Almanac". -
Audubon Society founded
The Audubon Society was founded in 1905, with a goal to protect birds and other wildlife, -
Antiquities Act
The Antiquities Act was created to protect public lands with cultural and natural resources for future generations. -
Congress became upset because Roosevelt was waving so much forest land so they banned further withdrawals.
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US National Park service founded
On August 25, 1916 the US National Park service was founded to manage all of the national parks and national monuments. -
Dust Bowl
Dust bowl was a period of time where there were many severe dust storms that damaged all of the agriculture in the US. -
Civilian Conservation Corps founded
The Civilian Conservation Corps was founded on April 5, 1933 to put lots of young/unemployed men to work on conservation projects. -
Soil Conservation Service founded
The Soil Conservation Service was founded to provide technical assistance to farmers and other small agricultural landowners. -
Taylor Grazing Act
The Taylor Grazing Act put regulations on the grazing of public land. -
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act
The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act requires that every waterfowl hunter that is 16 and older must have a Federal hunting stamp. -
Fish plus Wildlife Service founded
The Fish and Wildlife Service was founded in 1940 to help manage fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. -
FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Control Act)
The FIFRA was created to set up the pesticide regulations in the US. -
Silent Spring published by Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, a book about pesticides and their effect on the environment. -
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act allowed for there to be "wilderness areas" and protected 9.1 million acres of federal land. -
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was created to preserve rivers with great value in the US. -
Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, caught fire
The Cuyahoga river was so polluted that in 1969 it caught on fire from an oil slick. -
NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act)
NEPA was created to promote a good relationship and a positive outlook between man and the environment. -
First Earth Day
The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970 to spread more awareness about caring for our environment. -
Environmental Protection Agency established
The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 to protect human and environmental health. -
Clear Air Act
The Clear Air Act gave the federal government more control on what is released into the air. -
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act protects threatened and endangered species, and their habitats. -
OPEC oil embargo
The OPEC oil embargo was the decision to stop exporting oil to the US. -
Roland and Molina (UCI) announce that CFCs are depleting the ozone layer
This caused for scientists to do research on CFC's, and they were banned. -
RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)
The RCRA is the law that controls the guidelines for managing hazardous and nonhazardous waste. -
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the law in the US that governs water pollution. -
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
This law regulates coal mining and the effects it has on the environment. -
Love Canal, NY (toxic waste leaks into residential houses)
Love Canal, NY was built on 21,000 tons of toxic waste and over the years the waste started to show up. By 1978 it was so bad that many families had to sell their houses and evacuate, -
3 Mile Island Nuclear accident
In 1979 mechanical and human errors caused the worst nuclear accident in US history at the nuclear power plant on 3 Mile Island. -
Alaskan Lands Act
The Alaskan Lands Act, which was passed in 1980, provided Alaska with 79 million acres of refuge land. -
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act aka Super-Fund)
This law was passed to help control abandoned hazardous waste sites, and other pollutants leaked in the environment. -
Bhopal, Indian (chemical toxic cloud kills 2,000)
In Bhopal 1984, the Union Carbide subsidiary pesticide plant released toxic gases, and thousands died immediately from the toxic gases. -
Chernobyl
In 1986, the nuclear power station at Chernobyl received a sudden surge of power which caused fires and the release of radioactive material into the environment. -
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol is a global agreement that we should all try to protect the stratospheric ozone layer. -
Exxon Valdez
On March 24, 1989 Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker, wrecked and caused a major oil spill. -
Energy Policy Act of 1992
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 was created to increase the use of clean energy to overall improve energy in the US. -
Desert Protection Act
The Desert Protection Act was passed to help protect the deserts, and it ended up preserving 1.6 million acres of land. -
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that sets limits on greenhouse gas emissions. -
World population hits 6 billion
On October 12, 1999 the world's population hit 6 billion. -
BP Oil Spill
The BP Oil Spill was the largest marine oil spill in history. -
COP21
COP21 was a climate change conference held by the United Nations.
