Interviews
| interview-duncunnhd.pdf |
NHD 2015 – Leadership and Legacy
Interview with Dayton Duncan, writer and co-producer of “The National Parks: America's Best Idea” documentary produced by Ken Burns
1/ What would you consider to be John Muir’s greatest accomplishments in regard to National Parks?
John Muir played a pivotal role in the creation of a number of national parks—Yosemite (switched from California state control), Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Mount Rainier, and farther down the line, Glacier Bay, Petrified Forest, and a few others. But I would say Muir’s greatest accomplishment was his eloquent advocacy of a new way of looking at Nature and giving its protection a higher priority in our national consciousness. Muir pointed our nation in a different direction and helped launch a new era of conservation that extended beyond even his significant accomplishments with national parks.
2/ What obstacles did John Muir have to overcome to reach his goals?
Muir faced an American attitude in the late 1900s that did not value Nature for anything other than what could be extracted from it. His view—that Nature was important to us for its restorative powers and that vast sections of wild Nature should be protected from commercial exploitation—was not widely shared at first. His eloquence and his persistence eventually helped persuade a large segment of the public to his way of thinking.
3/ How and why was John Muir’s early life influential to his work?
John Muir’s studies of science—biology, zoology, geology--prepared him to understand the works of Nature; his harsh upbringing (being forced by his stern father to memorize much of the Bible) at least prepared him to be a powerful and persuasive writer who could “preach the Gospel of Nature.” Without either of those elements of his early life, he would not have become the person he became.
4/ Why were John Muir’s writings so important in accomplishing his goal of establishing National Parks?
Muir began writing for newspapers and magazines at a time when they were virtually the only way to reach a large audience, many of whom would not personally visit the places he wrote about. The power of his vivid writings helped those people not only “see” what Muir was describing but also appreciate his argument that such special places needed to be protected as national parks.
5/ Why was John Muir’s camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt influential in Roosevelt’s decision to promote the establishment of National Parks?
Theodore Roosevelt was already a committed conservationist and national park defender when he spent three glorious days camping with John Muir in Yosemite in 1903. But the experience of meeting Muir in person and discussing the future of places Muir fervently believed needed to be set aside as national parks strengthened Roosevelt’s commitment to conservation and the national park idea. President Roosevelt’s own speeches immediately after the camping trip almost sound as if Muir could have written them.
Interview with Dayton Duncan, writer and co-producer of “The National Parks: America's Best Idea” documentary produced by Ken Burns
1/ What would you consider to be John Muir’s greatest accomplishments in regard to National Parks?
John Muir played a pivotal role in the creation of a number of national parks—Yosemite (switched from California state control), Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Mount Rainier, and farther down the line, Glacier Bay, Petrified Forest, and a few others. But I would say Muir’s greatest accomplishment was his eloquent advocacy of a new way of looking at Nature and giving its protection a higher priority in our national consciousness. Muir pointed our nation in a different direction and helped launch a new era of conservation that extended beyond even his significant accomplishments with national parks.
2/ What obstacles did John Muir have to overcome to reach his goals?
Muir faced an American attitude in the late 1900s that did not value Nature for anything other than what could be extracted from it. His view—that Nature was important to us for its restorative powers and that vast sections of wild Nature should be protected from commercial exploitation—was not widely shared at first. His eloquence and his persistence eventually helped persuade a large segment of the public to his way of thinking.
3/ How and why was John Muir’s early life influential to his work?
John Muir’s studies of science—biology, zoology, geology--prepared him to understand the works of Nature; his harsh upbringing (being forced by his stern father to memorize much of the Bible) at least prepared him to be a powerful and persuasive writer who could “preach the Gospel of Nature.” Without either of those elements of his early life, he would not have become the person he became.
4/ Why were John Muir’s writings so important in accomplishing his goal of establishing National Parks?
Muir began writing for newspapers and magazines at a time when they were virtually the only way to reach a large audience, many of whom would not personally visit the places he wrote about. The power of his vivid writings helped those people not only “see” what Muir was describing but also appreciate his argument that such special places needed to be protected as national parks.
5/ Why was John Muir’s camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt influential in Roosevelt’s decision to promote the establishment of National Parks?
Theodore Roosevelt was already a committed conservationist and national park defender when he spent three glorious days camping with John Muir in Yosemite in 1903. But the experience of meeting Muir in person and discussing the future of places Muir fervently believed needed to be set aside as national parks strengthened Roosevelt’s commitment to conservation and the national park idea. President Roosevelt’s own speeches immediately after the camping trip almost sound as if Muir could have written them.
| interview-swagerty.pdf |
NHD 2015 – Leadership and Legacy
Interview with Willam Swagerty, Professor, History Department, and Head of John Muir Center at University of the Pacific.
1/What would you consider to be John Muir’s greatest accomplishments in regard to National Parks?
Muir recognized the value of regulation of public lands early in life after witnessing intensive overgrazing and agricultural monoculture in Scotland and after seeing Wisconsin divided into fee-simple plots of farms and townships. Once in California, he had the ideal opportunity to turn things around by advocating federal take-over of the State-owned Yosemite Grant. Yellowstone had already been set aside in 1872 so there was a precedent that could be used to argue for Yosemite. He had help in newspaper and magazine editors, professors, and fellow outdoor enthusiasts. The NPS was not his creation but the culmination of forces during the Progressive Conservation Era. Still he should get credit as the most important provocateur in advocating federal status of wild places.
2/ What obstacles did John Muir have to overcome to reach his goals?
Natural resource extractive industries, especially mining and logging, but also promoters of commercial tourism and outfitters who did not leave the land as they found it. Ultimately his largest challenge was urban areas desiring water from Yosemite’s HetchHetchy Valley.
3/ How and why was John Muir’s early life influential to his work?
In Dunbar he saw birds on the flyway from the Arctic to Africa, stopping over by the hundreds of thousands. That was his first introduction to wild nature. In Wisconsin, birds and aquatic life in the wetlands as well as deer and other forest creatures caught his interest. He was also very astute at observing the minute—insects, amphibians, and the smallest of land animals.
4/ Why were John Muir’s writings so important in accomplishing his goal of establishing National Parks?
The power of persuasion is in the power of print. Muir was reluctant to write at first but was convinced by 1880 that he needed to write books as well as articles in order to attract more readers. Ultimately it worked even though many of his books were published posthumously. He wrote over 300 short articles for newspapers and magazines, many of which were collated into his books.
5/ Why was John Muir’s camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt influential in Roosevelt’s decision to promote the establishment of National Parks?
Muir postponed his world tour in order to accommodate TR’s request to meet in Yosemite in 1903. That meeting was a pivotal event in American history and convinced both the President and Muir that there was hope for the remaining forest and wild lands of the West in particular. Muir disapproved of Roosevelt’s trophy hunting and told him so, but the two bonded and during the three day camp-out really understood each other. Roosevelt should be credited, along with Lyndon Johnson as the two most important presidents in US History in regard to Preservation of federal lands.
Interview with Willam Swagerty, Professor, History Department, and Head of John Muir Center at University of the Pacific.
1/What would you consider to be John Muir’s greatest accomplishments in regard to National Parks?
Muir recognized the value of regulation of public lands early in life after witnessing intensive overgrazing and agricultural monoculture in Scotland and after seeing Wisconsin divided into fee-simple plots of farms and townships. Once in California, he had the ideal opportunity to turn things around by advocating federal take-over of the State-owned Yosemite Grant. Yellowstone had already been set aside in 1872 so there was a precedent that could be used to argue for Yosemite. He had help in newspaper and magazine editors, professors, and fellow outdoor enthusiasts. The NPS was not his creation but the culmination of forces during the Progressive Conservation Era. Still he should get credit as the most important provocateur in advocating federal status of wild places.
2/ What obstacles did John Muir have to overcome to reach his goals?
Natural resource extractive industries, especially mining and logging, but also promoters of commercial tourism and outfitters who did not leave the land as they found it. Ultimately his largest challenge was urban areas desiring water from Yosemite’s HetchHetchy Valley.
3/ How and why was John Muir’s early life influential to his work?
In Dunbar he saw birds on the flyway from the Arctic to Africa, stopping over by the hundreds of thousands. That was his first introduction to wild nature. In Wisconsin, birds and aquatic life in the wetlands as well as deer and other forest creatures caught his interest. He was also very astute at observing the minute—insects, amphibians, and the smallest of land animals.
4/ Why were John Muir’s writings so important in accomplishing his goal of establishing National Parks?
The power of persuasion is in the power of print. Muir was reluctant to write at first but was convinced by 1880 that he needed to write books as well as articles in order to attract more readers. Ultimately it worked even though many of his books were published posthumously. He wrote over 300 short articles for newspapers and magazines, many of which were collated into his books.
5/ Why was John Muir’s camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt influential in Roosevelt’s decision to promote the establishment of National Parks?
Muir postponed his world tour in order to accommodate TR’s request to meet in Yosemite in 1903. That meeting was a pivotal event in American history and convinced both the President and Muir that there was hope for the remaining forest and wild lands of the West in particular. Muir disapproved of Roosevelt’s trophy hunting and told him so, but the two bonded and during the three day camp-out really understood each other. Roosevelt should be credited, along with Lyndon Johnson as the two most important presidents in US History in regard to Preservation of federal lands.
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Interview with Nathan Tusa, interpretive park ranger at John Muir National Historic Home Site, Martinez, CA
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