By Matthew M. Peek, Photograph Archivist
The narrative that is
often told of the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act describes how conservation
groups and key politicians nation-wide united to support the conservation of
America’s natural resources and wild areas. While true, the story of the
Wilderness Act’s origin and development has up to now largely left unexplored
the influence of one of its greatest proponents: Senator Lee Metcalf of
Montana.
On the 50th anniversary
of the signing of the 1964 Wilderness Act, a look at the role Metcalf played in
shaping our national wilderness policy is vital to understanding the full extent
of his dedication. Serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1953-1960)
and the U.S. Senate (1961-January 1978), Lee Metcalf’s priorities were not just
about preserving forests and wilderness, but managing and protecting all resources
which are part of nature’s lifecycle, including wildlife and their habitats,
streams and rivers, bird migration routes, clean water resources, and so much
more.
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Dr. Arnold W. Bolle, Dean of the Montana
State University School of Forestry [present-day University of Montana],
testified in support of a bill to
establish a land and water conservation fund to assist state and federal
governments in meeting outdoor recreation needs. Pictured are (left to right)
Agriculture Secretary Orville L. Freeman; Senator Lee Metcalf; Bolle; and
Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, March 6, 1963. [Lot 31 B16/6.10] |
As early as the 1950s,
Metcalf was determining the course of conservation efforts. The proposed Echo
Park Dam would have flooded portions of Dinosaur National Monument. Metcalf became one of the most vocal opponents of its construction
and one of the major reasons the Echo Park Dam was dropped from the Upper
Colorado River Project. The Echo Park Dam controversy sparked the modern
conservation movement, and made the need for federal wilderness legislation
glaringly apparent.
Just after President
Eisenhower was sworn into office in 1953, Montana U.S. Rep. Wesley D’Ewart
introduced the Uniform Federal Grazing Land Act, which would have allowed cattle
ranchers to graze their herds on national forest lands and
would potentially destroy wildlife habitats. Rep. Metcalf’s testimony and
advocacy to protect wild areas helped kill that grazing act.
He also helped stop
another grazing bill (S. 2548) that would impact national forests. During the U.S. Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee hearings on January 21-22, 1954,
Metcalf testified against that bill stating:
In the light of industrial development and expansion we should continue to be alert to protect our water...and to follow the leadership of enlightened local community leaders who know the problems and are familiar with local conditions. A balanced constructive legislative program is needed.
That same year, Metcalf blocked
the passage of the Ellsworth Timber Exchange Bill. This bill would have allowed
the federal government to exchange national forest lands for private lands in
order to reimburse private owners for federal projects developed on their land.
Metcalf called this trading “trees for stumps,” and was the strongest opponent
of the bill. For his efforts, Metcalf received the 1954 National Award for Distinguished
Service to Conservation.
In addition to helping
stop potentially destructive legislation, Lee Metcalf introduced many
conservation and wilderness-related measures from 1953 to 1963, including: an
outdoor recreation bill in 1956 (H.R. 1823); the first ever federal legislation
for studying the effects of pesticides and insecticides on wildlife and fish,
which passed in 1958 as the Pesticide Research Act; a bill, introduced in
January 1956, to protect federal wildlife refuges from dissolution; and the
“Save Our Streams” bill (S. 2767), on January 30, 1962, to cease the
destruction of rivers and streams by sloppy highway construction.
When John F. Kennedy was running
for President in 1960, he and Metcalf discussed Kennedy’s stance on
conservation issues if he were to win the presidency. In the autumn of 1960,
Metcalf and Kennedy shot a television program on
conservation for Kennedy’s campaign. On October 21, 1960, shortly before the
national elections, Metcalf wrote to Senator Kennedy:
Conservation
has the power to impart to an administration a quality of character which makes
it stand out in history. I sincerely believe you could set the tone for your
Administration by this approach. Through the medium of conservation the needs
and aspirations of our people can be galvanized—the challenge of tomorrow
translated in a visible way.
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| Senator Lee Metcalf meets with other national conservation leaders, August 6-12, 1961, to discuss legislative strategy regarding the proposed national wilderness preservation system bill. (Pictured left to right, standing) Alden J. Erskin, Izaak Walton League president; Phil Schneider, International Association of Game, Fish & Conservation Commissioners president; Tom Kimball, National Wildlife Federation exce; Carl W. Buchheister, president of National Audubon Society; (left to right, seated) C.R. Gutermuth, chairman of the Natural Resources Council of America; Senator Metcalf; and Ira N. Gabrielson, president of the Wildlife Management Institute. [Lot 31 B16/2.06] |
As a precursor to the Wilderness Act, Metcalf introduced the National Preservation
System bill in the House of Representatives on June 13, 1956. Eight years later, on
August 21, 1964, Senator Lee Metcalf, as presiding officer, signed the Wilderness Act on behalf of the U.S Senate. In a ceremony on the
grounds of the White House Rose Garden, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into
law the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and the Wilderness Act on September 3, 1964.
Lee Metcalf was one of America's most vocal and effective
conservation congressmen. He had a hand in the classification, eventual
creation of, or passage of every acre of wilderness in Montana by the time of
his death in January 1978. He also is one of the major reasons Montana has the
great outdoor recreation sites and facilities it does, which draw millions of
tourists to the state and employ thousands of Montanans.
His is a truly great legacy, which is fitting to recall on the anniversary of the signing of the 1964 Wilderness Act.
