Petition to House of Representatives (1893)

On January 2, 1893, John Muir wrote a petition to the House of Representatives begging them to save the ecosystem in Yosemite and declare it a public land. John Muir was an international environmentalist and President of the Sierra Club. The Club protected various pieces of land in the western United States and had major influence with public and private environmental organizations. The intended audience for the petition is the House of Representatives, whom read the petition and considered the issue at hand. Some main points in Muir’s petition are naming wildlife and ecosystems at risk and he describes how federal funding and protection could help Yosemite’s ecosystem. This source can be found at the Digital Public Library of America.

Our National Parks (1901)

Our National Parks, written by John Muir in 1901, provides readers with first hand knowledge and experiences of a true mountaineer exploring America’s national parks. John Muir was a famous environmentalist and the first president of the Sierra Club. The intended audience was for all Americans to spread knowledge and to provide the parks with a national spotlight. The key topics of the book includes land and wildlife from Yellowstone and Yosemite, the birds of Yosemite, fountains and streams of Yosemite and finally, Sequoia and General Grant National Parks. This source will provide great quotes by Muir who provides eloquent details of the natural beauty of the Parks. I found this source online on the Sierra Club website; the site is very organized and reputable and provides information necessary for the completion of this project.