John Muir: A Passion for Nature

John Muir: A Passion for Nature

John Muir: A Passion for Nature

1     A leaf, a flower, a stone—the simple beauty of nature filled John Muir with joy. Muir shared his love of nature through writing and inspired people to protect our country’s wild places, fueling the formation of the National Park Service and the modern conservation movement.

New Ideas on Nature

2     “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” —John Muir

3     Muir loved all things wild and saw humans as one small part of nature. He valued the natural world not only for economic gain, but for its beauty and healing powers. Muir championed the revolutionary idea that wild spaces should be set aside for all to enjoy.

Life in the Wild

4     “Tracing the ways of glaciers, learning how Nature sculptures mountain-waves in making scenery . . . beauty that so mysteriously influences every human being, is glorious work.” —John Muir

5     Muir’s passion for nature brought him to every continent except Antarctica. He experienced fantastic adventures—climbing a 100-foot tree in a thunderstorm, inching across a narrow ice bridge in Alaska, and spending a night in a blizzard on Mt. Shasta. Muir transformed his adventures into articles and books that sparked people’s interest in nature.

Life in the Wild (continued)

6     Muir’s grandfather helped kindle Muir’s love of nature at an early age by taking him on walks through the Scottish countryside. In 1849, when Muir turned 11, his family moved to Wisconsin and started a farm, where his nature lessons continued. As a young man, Muir studied biology, botany and geology at the University of Wisconsin before venturing off to see nature’s wonders.

7     With a plant press in his backpack, Muir walked more than 1,000 miles from Kentucky to the Gulf of Mexico, gathering specimens along the way. His curiosity carried him further to California and Alaska, where he tracked the movements of glaciers. He discovered glaciers in Yosemite and was the first to suggest that ice shaped its valleys.

Glaciers in Yosemite

Sharing a Progressive Vision

8     “Writing is like the life of a glacier; one eternal grind.” —John Muir

9     Muir’s descriptions of glaciers and sequoias brought the beauty of nature to readers nationwide. His ideas on saving land changed how the United States viewed wilderness. As increased settlement ended the western frontier in 1890, people began to worry about using resources wisely.

Giant Sequoia Groves (Check out how huge they are in comparison to the cabin below).

Sharing a Progressive Vision

10     Muir urged people to write politicians and “make their lives wretched until they do what is right by the woods.” In 1890, unchecked grazing, logging and tourism were damaging Yosemite. Muir’s articles “The Treasures of Yosemite” and “Features of a Proposed Yosemite National Park” appeared in Century Magazine, which boasted more than one million readers. A month later, Congress designated Yosemite a national park.

11     Friends and family encouraged Muir to write. He struggled with writing, yet recognized the power of prose and worked tirelessly in his “Scribble Den,” his upstairs office in his Martinez, California, home.

Words into Action

12     “The battle for conservation must go on endlessly. It is part of the universal warfare between right and wrong.” —John Muir

13     Muir’s popular writings caught the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who invited him camping in Yosemite. Roosevelt left behind reporters and his Secret Service agents for the company of two park rangers, an army packer, John Muir, and the wild. They spent three days exploring meadows and waterfalls and three nights discussing conservation around campfires. One night, five inches of snow fell, and the president arose to white flakes on his blankets. Inspired by his trip with Muir, Roosevelt set aside more than 230 million acres of public land—an area bigger than the size of Texas—that included five national parks and 18 national monuments.

Words into Action

14     Muir’s advocacy helped create several national parks, including Sequoia (1890), Mount Rainier (1899) and Grand Canyon (1908). He wrote “only Uncle Sam” could save our country’s land for future generations to enjoy, an idea that led to the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

15     Muir and other concerned citizens also founded the Sierra Club, a nonprofit organization promoting outdoor recreation and environmental advocacy. With more than one million members, this grassroots group continues Muir’s work to this day.

Muir’s Conservation Legacy

16     Thanks to Muir’s visionary efforts, you can visit over 400 National Park Service sites. Called “America’s Best Idea,” the United States’ unique system of protecting natural and cultural heritage spurred other countries to do the same. Muir’s writings and the places he fought to protect continue to inspire people worldwide to discover and connect with nature.

Multiple Choice

Based on the following excerpt from the passage, what is MOST LIKELY the author’s viewpoint on national parks?

Thanks to Muir’s vision, you can visit over 400 National ParkService sites...Muir’s writings and the places he fought to protect continue to inspire people worldwide to discover andconnect with nature.

• The author feels national parks are valuable and important.

• The author believes there are too many National Park Service sites.

• The author thinks people should avoid national parks.

• The author finds national parks useful for scientists and researchers only.

Multiple Choice

Which idea from the article does the photograph best support?

• Muir’s work helped to establish the National Park Service.

• Muir enjoyed spending time in nature.

• Muir studied biology, botany, and geology.

• Muir was a founder of the Sierra Club.

Multiple Select

Which words from the article best reveal the author’s attitude toward Muir? Select all that apply.

• inspired

• championed

• venturing

• damaging

• visionary

Multiple Choice

Which sentence describes the connection between John Muir and President Roosevelt?

• Muir felt that Roosevelt was not doing enough to protect Yosemite, so he asked him to go camping.

• Muir asked Roosevelt to create national parks and monuments in exchange for his help navigating Yosemite.

• Roosevelt was inspired by his conversations with Muir and the time they spent together camping in Yosemite.

• Roosevelt was upset that Muir had encouraged people to make the lives of politicians wretched in order to save Yosemite.

Open Ended

Write an objective summary of the John Muir: A Passion for Nature article in the space provided.