Upvote:5
The bulk of the work had already been completed during Teddy Roosevelt's term in office, with the creation of:
Modern sensitivities may disagree with Teddy's motivations as a well known big-game hunter, but he loved the outdoors and the American West and worked diligently while in office to preserve it for generations to come. Roosevelt upon taking office made
conservation a top priority, [establishing] a myriad of new national parks, forests, and monuments in order to preserve the nation's natural resources.
[from the introduction to the Wikipedia article on Theodore Roosevelt*].
and again:
We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.
[Theodore Roosevelt]