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Enviromental Timelines

By 17jsmith

  • William Penn preserves trees

    William Penn preserves trees
    For every five trees cut down colonists were ordered to conserve one tree.

  • Yellowstone Act

    Yellowstone Act
    Congress passed the Yellowstone Act, making Yellowstone the first national park "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and "for the preservation, from injury or spoilation, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders. . . and their retention in their natural condition."

  • The Lacey Act

    The Lacey Act
    The Lacey Act prohibited the transport of illegally obtained wildlife across state lines, and outlawed hunting in Yellowstone National Park.

  • Bison Preservation

    Bison Preservation
    In his annual message to Congress, President Roosevelt suggested, “provisions should be made for preservation of the bison,” calling it a “real misfortune” should the species become extinct. The American bison population, once 70 million, had dwindled to fewer than 300.

  • Burton Act

    Burton Act
    Congress passed the Burton Act, which preserved Niagara Falls from hydroelectric power facilities.

  • The Raker Act

    The Raker Act
    After a seven year debate between environmentalists and Californians seeking water rights, Congress passed the Raker Act, authorizing the flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley and the building of O’Shaughnessy Dam, in Yosemite National Park.

  • National Park Service

    National Park Service
    Congress established the National Park Service. Today there are approximately 400 national parks across America, comprising approximately 4% of the entire U.S., or 84.6 billion acres of preserved land.

  • New York v. New Jersey and Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners

    New York v. New Jersey and Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners
    New York sued New Jersey commissioners to stop dumping sewage in the New York harbor. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey, and the dumping continued.

  • Salt Lake City Air Pollution Survey

    Salt Lake City Air Pollution Survey
    Salt Lake City was the first U.S. city to conduct a large scale survey of air pollution

  • First Ethanol Plant

    First Ethanol Plant
    The first ethanol plant opened in Atchison, KS. The biofuel brand, Agrol, was sold throughout the Midwest with the slogan, “Try a tankful—you’ll be thankful.”