Nature and Conservation

On April 27, 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Soil Conservation Act. The act established the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) to reduce and repair the damage caused by soil erosion. The SCS’s work was expanded and continues today as the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Frederick Law Olmsted was born on April 26, 1822, in Hartford, Connecticut. He’s considered the father of American landscape architecture. Some of his most well-known projects include New York’s Central and Prospect Parks as well as the US Capitol building grounds.

On February 2, 1971, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, also known as the Convention on Wetlands, was signed in Ramsar, Iran.

First Lady Lady Bird Johnson was born on December 22, 1912, in Karnack, Texas.

On September 27, 1962, Rachel Carson published the book Silent Spring, which inspired a massive environmental movement in the United States.

On September 18, 1870, a group of explorers gave the Old Faithful geyser its name.

On August 10, 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt used the power of the 1906 Antiquities Act to create Joshua Tree National Monument.

On June 8, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law, giving him and future presidents the authority to create national monuments from federal lands.

On May 4, 1974, Expo ’74 opened in Spokane, Washington.