Today in environmental history: Naturalist John Muir is born
Muir is best known for his sojourn in Yosemite Valley from 1868 to 1874; at his urging, Congress established Yosemite National Park in October 1890.
Obama defends wildlife refuge, leaves other areas vulnerable to oil drilling
Millions more acres would be declared "wilderness," enjoying the highest level of protection possible for public lands, effectively preserving the area and its ecosystem.
Today in eco-history: Wilderness explorer John Muir born
Muir was a wilderness explorer and was the first Euro-American to explore Glacier Bay. In 1882 John Muir co-founded the Sierra Club with Professor Henry Senger, a philologist at UC Berkeley.
