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7984 BCE
Agricultural Revolution
The change humans had from hunter-gatherers to farmers and herders. -
Industrial Revolution
The change from human and animal work to machine work. Manufacturing, assembly lines, interchangeable parts, etc. -
John Muir
An author, naturalist, and preservationist for wilderness in the US. He founded the Sierra Club. "John of the Mountains" -
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Book wrote by Henry, it's main points were to live on the world naturally, sustainably, and not the complicated machinist word that we have today. -
Homestead Act
Act that Abe Lincoln made to encourage people to move west. They would be provided with 160 acres of land. -
Gifford Pinchot-First US Forest Service Chief
In charge of the US Forest service. Worked his whole life trying to get better conservation laws and laws benefitting the forests. -
Yellowstone National Park
Established by US Congress, mostly in Wyoming, but also Montana and Idaho -
American Forestry Association
Non-profit, conservation group working to protect and restore our forests. -
Aldo Leopold
Most known for 'A Sand County Almanac', he was one of the first conservationists to put ethics into his dealings with the environment. -
Yosemite and Sequoia National Park
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General Revision Act
This act allowed sections of unclaimed land to be designated as public property, therefore being protected. -
Sierra Club
Founded by John Muir, it's a popular environmental group still around today. -
Lacey Act
Introduced by John Lacey. Made so that you would be penalized for breaking environmental laws. -
Golden Age of Conservation (Theodore Roosevelt)
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First National Wildlife Refuge
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Audubon Society
An environmental organization whose main goal is to protect birds, but wishes to preserve all ecosystems and wildlife. -
US Forest Service
Run by the US department of agriculture, it now protects over 200 million acres. -
Antiquities Act
Used to designate national monuments and archeological sites on public ground. Nixon, Reagan, and H.W. Bush did not use it. -
Congress became upset because Roosevelt was waving so much forest land they banned further withdrawals.
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End of Golden Age of Conservation
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US National Park Service
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Dust Bowl
During the 'Dirty Thirties', severe dust storms greatly damaged ecology and agriculture of the western prairies; caused by severe drought and over-farming of land. -
Civilian Conservation Corps
In act from 1933 to 1942, it was a 'public work relief' that let unemployed, unmarried men work. One of the most effective programs in the Great depression. -
Soil Conservation Service
Agency of the US department of agriculture that provides assistants to farmers/private landowners. It's main mission is to protect and conserve natural resources on private lands. -
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act
Made to cut down on the hunting and near extinction of some birds, waterfowl hunters older than 16 must have a Federal Hunting Stamp. -
Taylor Grazing Act
Made to protect grazing lands for wildlife and cows, and have a regulation on these for the condition of public lands. -
Fish and Wildlife Service
Agency in the federal government that manages fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. -
FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Control Act)
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Silent Spring published by Rachel Carson
Book published by Rachel Carson that explained the negative effects of pesticides. She accused the chemical industry of misinformation. -
Wilderness Act
Created the National Wilderness Preservation System, and explained/recognized what wilderness is. -
Clear Air Act
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Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Made to preserve certain rivers with natural, recreational values in free-flowing conditions for future and present people's enjoyment. -
Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, caught fire
After years of industrial pollution and waste, the river caught fire and started an 'environmental revolution' -
NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act
Act that makes sure all branches of government properly evaluate the effects on the environment from actions that could affect it significantly. -
First Earth Day
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Environmental Protection Agency established
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Endangered Species Act
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OPEC Oil Embargo
During the Arab-Israeli war, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries stopped trade with the US for supplying the Israeli military -
Roland and Molina (UCI) announce that CFCs are depleting the ozone layer
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RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)
Law that helps the management of hazardous/non-hazardous solid waste. -
Clean Water Act
Started control over pollution into the US waters. Led the start of wastewater standards. -
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
Regulates the effect of coal mining. One program regulates active ones, the other reclaims abandoned mine land. -
Love Canal, NY (toxic waste leak into residential houses)
After a failed canal turned dumpsite, it was covered up and had built homes over it. The dangerous chemicals leaked out, which damaged not only the land, but the people that lived on it, from birth defects to chemical burns. -
3 Mile Island Nuclear Accident
The 2nd reactor near Middletown, PA partially melted down, and was the most serious event in the US, while not spreading any radiation. Led to MANY changes in emergency response, reactor operator training, etc -
Alaskan Lands Act
Passed by Jimmy Carter, it protected over 150,000,000 acres, including natinal parks, rivers, and monuments. -
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, a.k.a. SuperFund)
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Bhopal, India (chemical toxic cloud kills 2,000)
When a pesticide plant released methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals, it affected over 500,000 people, caused from bad maintenance to a storage tank. Over 16,000 people have died following this disaster -
Chernobyl
Nuclear accident near Pripyat, which spread radiation which spread farther than 800 miles from the source. While it only killed 68 people since 2008, it affected hundreds of thousands of people. -
Montreal Protocol
International treaty whose job is to stop production of substances that can deplete the earth's ozone. -
Exxon Valdez
When the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground off of the Prince william sound, it dumped 11 to 38 million US gallons of crude oil into the ocean. Accessibility made clean up tough, and it covered over 1,300 miles of coastline. -
Energy Policy Act of 1992
An act that started and maintained several mandates and laws to increase clean energy use and make the US more energy efficient. -
Desert Protection Act
Act passed by Bill Clinton making the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve in the California desert. -
Kyoto Protocol
An international treaty made as an extension of the (UNFCCC) to make state parties reduce greenhouse gas emission. -
World population hits 6 billion.
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BP Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest marine oil spill that spilled over 210 million gallons of oil into the ocean. This is still debated to be contained, and started a massive response to protect wildlife affected. -
COP12
The Convention on Biological Diversity or CBD has three goals in the international treaty; to conserve biodiversity, to stay sustainable, and to share all genetic resource benefits.
