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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.
If Yellowstone Park was not preserved, people couldn't go visit and enjoy the park to this day.
. . and their retention in their natural condition." -
Lacey Act
The Lacey Act prohibited the transport of illegally obtained wildlife across state lines, and outlawed
hunting in Yellowstone National Park.
Since hunting was banned, Yellow Stone species could avoid extinction and endangerment. -
Burton Act
Congress passed the Burton Act, which preserved Niagara Falls from hydroelectric power facilities.
This acat caused the preservation of Niagra Falls so that tourists can enjoy the falls. -
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.
People would not carelessly use land, and all important national parks would be preserved for future generations. -
Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act
Congress passed the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act in an effort to control Dust Bowl storms, erosion, land use and conservation. Over 100,000,000 acres of U.S. prairie land were affected by the Dust Bowl. The catastrophe inspired the largest migration of Americans in U.S. history, as 2.5 million Dust Bowl refugees moved away from the prairie.
If the Dust Bowl was not kept in control, more land would have been affected by the storms, thus furthering the Great Depression. -
Bald Eagle Preservation Act
Congress passed the Bald Eagle Preservation Act to prevent the extinction of the national symbol.
The bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list in 2007.
The bald eagle is America's national bird. Therefore, its preservation is necessary. -
Los Angeles Closed Schools
Heavy smog conditions forced city officials to close schools in Los Angeles for most of the month of
October.
The closing of schools due to smog really emphasized the negative impact of pollution on society. It made people realize that pollution was a problem, and was a probable cause of the implementation of rules and preventative measures to control people's emissions of pollutants. -
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, which warned about the dangers of pesticides, especially DDT, to water supplies and wildlife. The federal government outlawed the use of pesticides like DDT several years later.
This book caused the environmental movement to become more known, as it was greatly publicized. People realized the harsh impact of pesticide use on the environment. -
Wilderness Act
Congress passed the Wilderness Act, establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System to “secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.” By 2001, there were 90 million acres of preserved wilderness in the U.S.
The presevation of wilderness is essential for human growth and development, and to sustain future generations. -
"Blue Marble" photo
NASA released the “Blue Marble” photo of earth from space, giving Americans a first ‘outside’ look at their planet. The photo helped raise awareness of environmental issues.
Americans looking at the picture could realize how relatively small the world was in comparison to the universe as a whole. This showed how little actions could have a huge impact on the planet. -
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act passed by Congress and President Johnson to protect waterways from pollution, commercialization, and development.
This enabled Americans to use the water that was available, instead of polluting it and making it improperly unsanitary for use. -
National Environmental Policy Act
The National Environmental Policy Act was one of the first laws to establish the broad national
framework for protecting the environment. The Act demanded that all braches of government give
proper consideration to the environment prior to building airports, buildings, military complexes,
People think about the environment before they start cutting down trees to build airports, highways, and other roads and buildings.
highways, parks, and other activities. -
First Earth Day
The first Earth Day was celebrated by 20 million people across the country. Earth Day was first
organized by Gaylord Nelson, a former Wisconsin senator, and Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate
student. Today, Earth Day is celebrated annually around the world.
Earth Day is still celebrated annually around the world, and continues to raise awareness about preserving the environment.
Without the EPA, man and nature wouldn't be in harmony and it would raise other environmental issues in the future. -
Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency was established to “create and maintain conditions under
which man and nature can exist in productive harmony.” -
Endangered Species Act
Congress passed the Endangered Species Act to protect what are now known as Endangered Species
from possible extinction.
Wihtout this act, animals would eventually become extinct, which would disrupt the balance of nature greatly. -
Safe Drinking Water Act
Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act to be administered by the EPA, protecting Americans
from contaminated drinking water. The EPA still regulates public drinking water as a result of the act.
This act provides everyone with clean water than is necessary for survival. -
Superfund
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) was established to provide funds for cleaning of uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. The Act also gave the EPA power to prosecute polluters.
This helped the EPA actually do something about pollution and polluters, and helped clean up waste that could hurt the environment further. -
Alaska National Lands Conservation Act
Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, designating over 100 million
acres of parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas throughout the state.
Alaska is predominantly wilderness, and its presevation is essential for the resources it can provide. -
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol, an international treaty, was first signed to eliminate ozone-depleting
hydrocarbons from the environment. It was adopted by so many countries that it has been hailed as an
example of exceptional international cooperation. Since the Montreal Protocol came into effect,
harmful ozone-depleting hydrocarbon production has significantly decreased.
This helped preserve the ozone and prevent its further breakdown. This will preserve the Earth for a much longer stretch of time. -
Global Warming
NASA warned Congress of the effects of global warming.
Congress became aware that even government institutions needed to help with the environment because it was so bad. -
Oil Pollution Act
The Oil Pollution Act streamlined the EPA’s ability to prevent and clean up catastrophic oil spills.
The new procedures helped with recent oil spills such as the BPA spill, and enable faster reactions and help in the event of spills. -
Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol implemented as countries around the world pledged to reduce the emission of gasses
that contribute to global warming.
Global warming awareness was increased and this enabled us to prevent futher holes in the ozone and try to reverse or slow the effects of global warming. -
An Inconvenient Truth
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore released An Inconvenient Truth, and the following year, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to raise awareness about global warming.
Raised more awareness and was implemented in schools to educate the youth on the Earth's future. -
New Air Quality Standards
The EPA Issued New Air Quality Standards to control daily “small” or “fine” particulate matter— soot, dust, and particles too small to see. Fine particulate matter, which pollutes the air, comes from things like car exhaust, smokestacks, and coal-fired power plants.
Fine partical matter is harder to see, so people didn't realize how detrimental it was to the environment. This enabled people to become aware of the pollution caused by dust and small particles. -
Great Lakes Compact
Great Lakes Compact signed by all eight Great Lakes states in an attempt to prevent distribution and
sale of water to nonregions.
Helped preserve the lakes and prevent their exploitation, and kept from disrupting the delicate balance of nature.
