Environmental Laws and Treaties1910-1939 By: Jonathan

Friedman

Historical Context/Time Period• Theodore Roosevelt is president• Roosevelt’s Big Stick Policy in Latin America• Opening of the Suez Canal• William Taft becomes President• Woodrow Wilson becomes President• The Progressive Era• 18th Amendment prohibits alcohol and 19th Amendment gives women's right to vote• World War I, U.S. and Allies Win against Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire• Warren Harding becomes President• The “Roaring Twenties”, the Harlem Renaissance and the “Golden Age of Prosperity”. People are very

rich and wealthy• Calvin Coolidge becomes president• Herbert Hoover becomes President• Stock Market Crashes• The Great Depression• The beginning of Fascism in Europe and Asia• FDR’s “New Deal” policy and Fireside Chats• The Beginnings of WWII in Europe

Weeks Act• Was introduced and signed into law

by Teddy Roosevelt in 1911• Weeks Act- allows the Forest Service

to purchase land at on navigable streams as apart of the National Forest System

• This act also acquired land as national forests

• Many years later, this act acquired many pieces of land in the Western U.S.

• The act recommended lands to be purchased under the National Forest Reservation Commission- Secretaries of War, the interior, Agriculture, and two members each from the house and the Senate.

Clarke-McNary Act of 1924

• By 1920, over 2,000,000 acres had been bought by the Forest Service expanding the National Forest System

• An amendment to the Weeks Act allowed the purchasing of forest land for timber and stream-flow production

Public Health Service Act• At the turn of the century,

many U.S. Urban areas were suffering from poor sanitation

• Was created in 1912 which gives the government authority to investigate water pollution

• As more and more people moved to cities, it became crowded and many problems such as poor water, bad sanitation and hygiene were created

Ecological Society of America• In 1915, Ecologists form the

Ecological Society of America • The American Association for the

Advancement of Science (AAAS)- created the Ecological Society of America

• Aimed at focusing on every organism including the environment they lived in

• It also unified the Science of Ecology, creating research, communication between ecologists, and applying ecological information towards environmental problems

• There are 10,000 members worldwide

National Parks Service Act (Organic Act)

• This act created the National Park System and National Park Service in 1916

• This was created due to the lack of organization of U.S. national parks

• The National Park Service gained responsibility of 14 parks and 21 national monuments

• It was the Park Services job to protect the land, scenery, and wildlife of the U.S.’s national parks

Migratory Bird Treaty Act• In 1918, this act protected migratory birds

and restricted the hunting of them• Treaty created by the U.S. and Great Britain

in 1918• It was later signed by Mexico, Japan, and the

former Soviet Union• Migratory bird- a bird that reproduces and

migrates within or across international borders during their life time

• This Act made it illegal to kill, hunt, capture, take, or steel any Migratory Bird

• MBTA programs work under the MBTA’s amendments

• 836 birds are protected under this act and 58 of these birds are legally hunted for game

Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929

• Protected bird’s habitat, resources, made their environments safe by preventing pollution and toxins from reaching their food supplies and water

• It also authorizes the protection and development of migratory birds’ lands and preservations

• Provided sanctuaries or peaceful lands for these birds• The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission also

allowed the purchase of land for birds• Provided resources and maintenance of the land

purchased

Taylor Grazing Act of 1934• Regulates livestock grazing on public lands.• The Federal management of public grazing lands• The last major part of public lands managed by the

government• Its purpose is to use grazing lands in a wise manner by

developing and improving the land to protect the livestock population

• Districts of public domain lands were established and were used for homesteading

Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 (cont.)

• The Executive Orders of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934 and 1935 gave the power to the Secretary of the Interior to regulate grazing districts, the leasing of land, charging fees, improvement projects, and agreements with grazing landholders

• The Division of Grazing was created under this Act, but the agency failed and was ineffective

Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of 1934

• Requires duck hunters or waterfowl hunters to buy a federal Dutch hunting license

• The Migratory Bird Conservation Act provided $ 7.8 million towards the protection of birds, but was not enough

• The Bird Hunting Stamp Act- provided more funds towards bird sanctuaries by having hunters buy a stamp for their hunting licenses

• The funds from these permits goes directly towards waterfowl research and land purchases of wildfowl refuges

• Dust Bowl storms begin in the Midwest

Soil Conservation Act• In 1935, created Soil Conservation/Erosion

Service• Agency is involved with soil erosion problems• Had many soil surveys throughout the U.S.• Discovered many conservation problems such

as “soil salinity control” (“Soil Conservation Act”, pg. 1).

• Use to and still does map problems of soil erosion and other similar problems

• Has computer databases for science research such as pesticides

• The Wilderness Society is founded

Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 (Pittman-Robertson Act)

• Federal Aid for the Wildlife Restoration Act places federal tax on gun and ammunition sales

• Imposed an excess tax on guns and shells to get more funds from hunters

• Funds from the tax are used for wildlife research and protection

• The Migratory Conservation Act, Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, and the Pittman-Robertson Act created the most effective conservation plan ever recorded

• During this time, the idea of the “greenhouse effect” is founded by Professor Glen Trewaha

Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938

• Regulates consumer foods, drugs, and cosmetics

• Originally called the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Organization in 1927

• Allows federal inspections of manufacturing plants

• This act also regulates insecticide use on food with support from the E.P.A.

• Gives the authority to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which looks at the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics

• The (FDA) is an agency apart of the Department of Health and Human Services

Works Cited (2009). “The Weeks Law.” U.S. Forest Service History. http://www.foresthistory.org/ASPNET/policy/AgencyOrganization/weeks_law/index.aspx Accessed on October 15, 2009.

(2009). “Weeks Act.” Absolute Astronomy.com. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Weeks_Act Accessed on October 15, 2009.

“About the Ecological Society of America.” Ecological Society of America: esa history. http://www.esa.org/history/ Accessed on October 15, 2009.

(1999). “National Park Service Act.” The Environment: A Global Challenge. http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Politics/national_park_service_act.html Accessed on October 15, 2009.

“Migratory Birds & Habitat Programs: Migratory Bird Treaty Act.” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. http://www.fws.gov/pacific/migratorybirds/mbta.htm Accessed on October 15, 2009.

(2009). “Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929.” ENCYLOPEDIA.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407400188.html Accessed on October 15, 2009.

Thompson, Gale (2005-2006). “Taylor Grazing Act (1934).” Environmental Encyclopedia. http://www.bookrags.com/research/taylor-grazing-act-1934-enve-02/ Accessed on October 15, 2009.

“Soil Conservation Act.” The Environment: A Global Challenge. http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Politics/soil_conservation_act.html Accessed on October 15, 2009.

“Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson).” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps52835/federalaid.fws.gov/wr/fawr.html Accessed on October 15, 2009.

Saundry , Peter (2007). “Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, United States. March 9. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Federal_Food,_Drug,_and_Cosmetic_Act,_United_States Accessed on October 15, 2009.