Presidents and Parks: Their Conservation Legacies Through the Years
1. Ulysses S. Grant: Yellowstone National Park
In 1872, President Grant established the first national park in the United States. The park is among the largest within the country. Although much effort went into establishing the park, funding issues led to Yellowstone not being maintained or protected (Yellowstone National Park).
2. Jimmy Carter: Parks in Alaska
In 1980, President Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. This act "protected more than 100 million acres of federal lands in Alaska, creating ten new national parks and enlarging three others" (Scott, nd.).
Several U.S. presidents have contributed to conservation efforts and environmental friendly legislation throughout the years. For instance, President Richard Nixon helped establish the Environmental Protection Agency in addition to a series of acts that proposed clean air initiatives, marine mammal conservation, endangered species protection and safe drinking water initiatives (Bove 2019). The presidents included in this section represent two leaders who established national parks consisting over a million acres.