The Bureau of Land Management at Seventy-Five: Who Will Celebrate with Them?

In 2021, the Bureau of Land Management turned 75 but with little if any fanfare. Historian James R. Skillen, who's written extensively about the BLM, reflected upon its history. This article appears in the 2021 issue of Forest History Today.…

Black Woman in Green: Excerpts from Gloria Brown’s Memoir

In 1999, Gloria Brown became the first female African American forest supervisor in the U.S. Forest Service. Gloria cowrote her memoir Black Woman in Green: Gloria Brown and the Unmarked Trail to Forest Service Leadership (Oregon State University Press, 2020) …

Reclaiming Henry David Thoreau, Forest Historian

Crayon portrait of Henry David Thoreau, 1854. (public domain)

The bicentennial of the birth of Henry David Thoreau this month comes at an auspicious time. Given the political climate we live in, his essay "Civil Disobedience" resonates today more than …

In the Wake of the Ottumwa Belle: From Crisis to Conservation

On the 100th anniversary of the last log raft floated on the Upper Mississippi River, scholar and Aldo Leopold biographer Curt Meine reflects upon conservation efforts over the last century and the challenges that lay ahead.

This summer marks an …

A review of "Arming Mother Nature"

The following book review by FHS staff historian James G. Lewis appears in the Scientists’ Nightstand section of the July-August 2014 issue of American Scientist.

ARMING MOTHER NATURE: The Birth of Catastrophic Environmentalism. Jacob Darwin Hamblin. 320 pp. Oxford …

Happy 125th Birthday, Aldo Leopold!

On this date in 1887, author, forester, ecologist, and conservationist Aldo Leopold was born in Burlington, Iowa. The founder of the science of wildlife management and a major influence on the wilderness movement, wildlife preservation, and environmental ethics, he is …

Happy 40th Birthday, Woodsy Owl!

Give a hoot—and a holler—for Woodsy Owl! Today’s his birthday. Or at least it’s the 40th anniversary of the press conference announcing Woodsy’s arrival. And that’s close enough for us.

We won’t bore you with the details of how he …

Add One Northern Spotted Owl, Stir in Controversy, and Bring to a Boil

On March 7, 1991, U.S. District Court Judge William Dwyer blocked logging of all old-growth trees on national forests in the Pacific Northwest that were habitat for the northern spotted owl to protect the animal.  Ruling in favor of the …

[Reminder] The Next Environmentalism: After the 2008 Election

With votes cast, ballots counted, and winners announced, what does the 2008 election portend for the environmental movement?  Please join us as historian Robert Gottlieb discusses “The Next Environmentalism” in a public lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Duke University.…

The Next Environmentalism: After the 2008 Election

The American environmental movement has periodically experienced shifts in focus and organizational priorities following key elections. Notable transformative junctures include the 1970 and 1972 congressional elections; the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan, which sent ripple effects throughout the environmental movement; …