The National Conservation Commission was appointed on June 8, 1908 by

President Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and consisted of representatives of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

and relevant executive agency technocrats;

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsy ...

served as chairman of its executive committee. The commission was the fourth of seven conservation commissions and conferences established during Roosevelt's presidency (1901-1909). This commission had resulted from the first

Conference of Governors The Conference of Governors was held in the White House May 13–15, 1908 under the sponsorship of President Theodore Roosevelt. Gifford Pinchot, at that time Chief Forester of the U.S., was the primary mover of the conference, and a progressive c ...

just weeks earlier, which similarly had stemmed from the previous recommendations of the

Inland Waterways Commission The Inland Waterways Commission was created by Congress in March 1907, at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt, to investigate the transportation crisis that recently had affected nation's ability to move its produce and industrial producti ...

, presented to Congress in February 1908. The National Conservation Commission was divided into four sections, water, forests, lands, and minerals, with each having its own chairman; it prepared the first inventory of the nation's natural resources, in a three-volume report submitted to Congress at the beginning of 1909. The commissions findings also present Pinchot's concepts of resource management as a comprehensive policy recommendation for the government. Roosevelt and Pinchot wanted the Commission to continue, but Congress refused further funding. President Roosevelt also invited representatives from Canada,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and Mexico to the North American Conservation Conference so that inter-national conservation issues could be discussed. Those who attended agreed that they would co-ordinate policies about natural resource management between the three countries, but each country would have to separately establish a commission that would allow for cooperation and information exchange. This agreement ultimately did not produce any results, but it did lead to Canada establishing the non-partisan Commission of Conservation. This commission allowed for the completion of over two hundred studies before 1919. The Commission was composed of an executive committee and also involved universities to provide scientific and technical expertise. The committees were divided into seven working groups; forestry, lands, fisheries, game and wildlife, water and waterpower, minerals and public health. MacDowell, L. S. (2012). An environmental history of canada. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.

References

United States national commissions Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Progressive Era in the United States Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt {{US-poli-stub

See also

References