John Muir and Gifford Pinchot, early 20th century environmentalists, came into conflict over the destruction of a valley. Hetch Hetchy, a high elevation valley in the Yosemite National Park, had great natural beauty and abundant fresh water. Muir, a preservationist, believed that nature had intrinsic value and that the valley should be left as pristine as possible (Gray, 2000). Pinchot, a conservationist, believed that the valley should be dammed to provide “the greatest good for the greatest number” (Gray, 2000, p. 235).
The city of San Fransisco wanted to dam Hetch Hetchy to gain access to fresh water and electricity at an affordable price. The city would need Congressional approval to develop inside the national park. Muir and his supporters worked to convince Congress to preserve the park while Pinchot worked to win approval for development.
Muir had founded the Sierra Club and his efforts had helped win approval for the creation of Yosemite in 1890. He spearheaded efforts against any development in the park (Gray, 2000). Muir believed that Hetch Hetchy “is a grand landscape garden, one of Nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples” (Muir, 1997, p. 813). To Muir, the valley represented God’s ultimate creation and he saw his opponents as agents of the devil (Muir, 1997). His efforts had already delayed development of Hetch Hetchy for several years (Gray, 2000).
Pinchot, the former head of the US Forest Service, argued in favor of the dam’s construction. Pinchot believed that democratic majorities held the right to develop the resources that they required (Gray, 2000). He believed the city would prevail because “[a]s we all know, there is no use of water that is higher [more important] than the domestic use.” (Pinchot, 1913, para 1).
Muir and Pinchot actually held some similar sympathies (Gray, 2000). Muir wrote in 1912 that he believed that Yosemite had value for “the uplifting joy and peace and health of the people” (Muir, 1997, p. 814). The following year, Pinchot stated that timber should not be harvested from Yosemite. Pinchot appeared to have been offering a compromise to the preservationists, development of Hetch Hetchy in exchange for protection of the rest of Yosemite.
In 1913, Congress held hearings to determine if the development of Hetch Hetchy should be approved. No one had a clear idea of what a national park meant and the hearings would help determine the legal protections granted to national park land. The Sierra Club only managed to send an east coast representative to the hearings while San Fransisco sent a large delegation that included conservationist leader Pinchot (Gray, 2000).
Congress held hearings that framed the debate as a choice between preserving the natural beauty of Hetch Hetchy or providing water to one of the nation’s most important cities. The public of San Fransisco, Federal bureaucrats and California representatives all lined up in favor of the construction of the dam. Preservationists swore that the inherent and aesthetic value of the valley, visited by only a few hundred people a year, outweighed the needs of San Fransisco. Pinchot countered that the dam actually allowed more enjoyment of Hetch Hetchy because, during construction, roads would be built that would open up the valley to the public.
Congress is designed to listen to residents and their representatives. Hetch Hetchy had no residents and no voters. The legislative body approved the construction of the dam (Gray, 2000). The legacy of the argument between Muir and Pinchot had greater impacts than just at Hetch Hetchy. In 1916, Congress approved the creation of the the National Park Service to manage national park lands. A hundred years later, environmentalists sued to have the dam torn down. Proving that Muir’s worldview of preservationism eventually overtook conservationism in the environmental movement (Zelenko, 2016)
References
Gray, Brian E, “The Battle of Hetch Hetchy Goes to Congress,” UC Hasting Scholarship Repository, 2000, pp. 199-237
Muir, John, “John Muir: Nature Writings,” The Library of America, 1997. Reprinted from: The Yosemite, 1912.
Pinchot, Gifford, “A National Debate - Gifford Pinchot,” In Time & Place, 1913, http://www.intimeandplace.org/HetchHetchy/damhetchhetchy/debate/pinchot.html
Zelenko, Michael, ”The Valley Below,” The Verge, 2016, https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/28/10852998/san-francisco-water-supply-yosemite-lawsuit-restore-hetch-hetchy