To
understand Iowa’s early conservationists we need to examine the world in which
they grew up. Iowa’s landscape is one of the most altered in our nation. When
Iowa’s early conservationists were growing up Iowa’s landscape was at the
pinnacle of change. Iowa’s natural areas were being altered and destroyed and
wildlife was being hunted with little regulation. As a whole, they were Iowan’s
who spent time outside in the natural world as children and youths. They
developed a connect with, and a love of nature, and became crusaders for the
natural world when they saw its wanton destruction.
Studying
Iowa’s famous conservationist should serve as a lesson to us as we educate and
raise future generations. Children and youth who spend time outdoors in our
natural world will develop a life-long love and appreciation for nature. If we
want children to grow up to be stewards of the land we need to get them outside
now.
To learn more about the Iowa conservationists
listed below, and to learn about other pioneering Iowa conservationists, visit
the ISU Extension webpage below and download your free copy of “Important Iowa Conservationist”.
Important Iowa Conservationists – Iowa Natural
Resource Heritage Series
https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=2136
Ada Hayden ~ 1884-1950
Hayden
grew up on an Iowa farm where her family kept a tract of virgin prairie simply to
enjoy its beauty. Her love of natural prairie later became the focus of her
career and her lasting legacy. Hayden was the first woman to earn her Ph.D.
from Iowa State College. She became a professor of botany and the curator of
the university herbarium. Hayden was one of the first scientists to study
prairies. She surveyed the entire state to locate and document native prairie
tracts. Hayden viewed prairies as complete ecosystems and as valuable living
scientific laboratories. Her legacy started a prairie preservation effort in
Iowa and her work has been an inspiration to countless prairie
conservationists.
Ames
Historical Society – Ada Hayden
http://www.ameshistory.org/exhibits/ada_hayden.htm
John F. Lacey ~ 1841-1913
Elected to
the U.S. House of Representatives in 1888 Lacey was a conservation pioneer whose
efforts were critically important to the protection of wildlife nationwide. The
Lacey Bird Act of 1900 was just one of the issues that Lacey fought for
diligently. The Lacey Bird Act of 1900 prohibited the transportation of
illegally taken game across state lines, making the first significant dent in
the economics of unrestricted market hunting and poaching.
Iowa
Natural Heritage Foundation – John F. Lacey
http://www.inhf.org/john-f-lacey.cfm
Bohumil Shimek ~ 1861-1937
A
Professor of Botany at University of Iowa, and the first director of the Iowa
Lakeside Laboratory, Shimek was a pioneer of a comprehensive conservation and
environmental education program for Iowa. He believed the first place to teach students
about the natural world was in the field. Shimek helped his students not only
learn about the natural world, but also encouraged and taught them to protect
it.
The
University of Iowa – Bohumil Shimek
http://uipress.lib.uiowa.edu/bdi/DetailsPage.aspx?id=343
Louis H. Pammel ~ 1862-1931
Pammel
earned his Ph.D. in botany from Iowa State College and later became a professor
of bacteriology, mycology, and plant pathology there. Pammel believed that
humans could not exist without direct contact with the natural world. He
developed the first working definition of conservation for Iowa and recommended
that nature be taught in schools. Pammel help establish the Iowa State Board of
Conservation and served as its president from 1919-1927. During that time he
established the first Iowa State Park, Backbone State Park, in addition to 38
other State Parks. He is recognized as the “Founder of Iowa’s State Park
System.”
Iowa State
University – Louis H. Pammel
http://www.add.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/exhibits/150/template/pammel.html
Books of Interest
Broda, H. W. 2011. Moving the
Classroom Outdoors. Stenhouse Publishers.
Cornell, J. B. 1998. Sharing
Nature with Children (20th Anniversary Edition). Dawn Publications.
Dinsmore,
J. J. 1994. A Country So Full of Game:
The Story of Wildlife in Iowa. University of Iowa Press.
Lendt, D.L. 1989. Ding: The
Life of Jay Norwood Darling. Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.
Leopold, A. 1989. A Sand
County Almanac. Oxford University Press.
Louv, R. 2008. Last Child in
the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. Algonquin
Books.
Ross, C., and T. Gladfelter.
1995. Kids in the Wild: A Family Guide to Outdoor Recreation. Mountaineer
Books.
Stein, S. 2001. Noah's
Children: Restoring the Ecology of Childhood. North Point Press.
Van Tilburg, C. 2005. Introducing
Your Kids to the Outdoors. Stackpole Books.
