6. Challenges Faced

Hetch Hetchy

There was a growing population in San Francisco, thus there was an increasing need for various resources, especially water. At that time, there was a huge problem with a private water organization that rendered shoddy services with extremely high prices. To counter such an issue, a dam had to be built at one of the best locations, which was Hetch Hetchy Valley, just north of Yosemite Valley, in which they could artificially created a lake from the Tuolumne River. Muir was fervent in opposing this notion, arguing that the valley was an important feature of the park and the construction of the dam would inevitably destroy its beauty and go against the motto of the Sierra Club. Unfortunately, Gifford Pinchot who was the head of the US Forest Service, had dominance over the national parks, and even he supported the idea of creating the Hetch Hetchy dam.

Despite Muir’s best efforts, he was also unable to prevent divisions amongst the members of Sierra Club. Some of the members who were living in San Francisco supported the notion of building the dam for the good of the city’s population. In desperation, Muir addressed the issue to his friend President Roosevelt, in hopes to gain his support. Regrettably, President Roosevelt was unwilling to disappoint his people, which made him unable to commit himself agains the idea of building the dam. In the end, Muir went to seek the help of William Colby, who was also part of Sierra Club, and the both of them founded a new organization called the “Society for the Preservation of National Parks”. The new organization captivated and attracted many eastern conservationists.

Despite that, once President Woodrow Wilson won the election in the year 1912, the bill to build the Hetch Hetchy dam was passed in Congress in the following year. Sierra Club had lost its first battle.