Conservation

                The conservation movement seeks to protect the environment.  This movement’s goal is to protect, biodiversity, habitats, fauna, flora, etc.  Conservationists don’t believe in the uses or exploitation of natural resources. Setting land aside, untouched by man, in hopes of preserving the integrity of that biological environment is a big part of this movement (Lamb 1). Environmental preservation tries to restore or protect a biosphere from damage that human activities caused. Some examples include logging, mining, hunting, and fishing. Often recreational tourism is set in place instead of environmentally harmful activities (Collins 1). Conservation does not condone the use to public land for commercial or public interests. They only look to protect the environment of the damaging effects of industry and human consumption (Lamb 1).  This environmental movement would prefer is people could allow some land and resources to be left alone without human tampering, interference, or intervention. No one explains the importance of nature and conservation better than John Muir. In The Yosemite
Muir wrote

“… Hetch Hetchy Valley, far from being a plain, common, rock-bound meadow, as many who have not seen it seem to suppose, is a grand landscape garden, one of Nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples. As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life, whether leaning back in repose or standing erect in thoughtful attitudes, giving welcome to storms and calms alike, their brows in the sky, their feet set in the groves and gay flowery meadows, while birds, bees, and butterflies help the river and waterfalls to stir all the air into music- things frail and fleeting and types of permanence meeting here and blending, just as they do in Yosemite, to draw her lovers into close and confiding communion with her” (Muir 95)

Muir is using imagery to try to convey a message to the general public, that nature is the rarest and most precious temples. He is informing his readers that wilderness is full of life and needs to be protected. He wants to inform people that everyone needs nature for a multitude of reason ranging from tress cleaning the air to renewing effects for the individual person. Muir wants people to understand that nature needs to be protected.