John Muir - Keep Close to Nature's Heart

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. -John Muir

"John Muir c1902" by unattributed - Library of Congress  Licensed under Public Domain

Q: How was Muir able to be so influential?
A: He first became famous as a writer, and it was his writings that really touched a lot of people. Publishers came to his house wanting whatever he could give them in the way of an essay. Teddy Roosevelt read his articles, and when he became president he said, “I’m going to California, and the man I want to see is John Muir.” So he began to make political connections through his talent as a writer. Muir made friends, particularly later in life, who were rich and powerful, and he called upon those people for political support when he began to work for wilderness preservation.  Read more on American Profile HERE.

"Valley View Yosemite August 2013"

John Muir - Father of the national parks

- naturalist, writer, conservationist, explorer, sheepherder, farmer, inventor and founder of the Sierra Club - was born on April 21, 1838 in Dunbar, Scotland. Until the age of eleven he attended the local schools of that small coastal town. In 1849, the Muir family emigrated to the United States, settling first at Fountain Lake and then moving to Hickory Hill Farm near Portage, Wisconsin.

Muir's father was a harsh disciplinarian and worked his family from dawn to dusk. Whenever they were allowed a short period away from the plow and hoe, Muir and his younger brother would roam the fields and woods of the rich Wisconsin countryside. John became more and more the loving observer of the natural word.   

His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. The 211-mile (340 km) John Muir Trail, a hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, was named in his honor.  Other such places include Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier. In Scotland, the John Muir Way, a 130 mile long distance route, was named in honor of him.   

Read more John Muir on Wikipedia 

The Sierra Club

Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization -- with more than two million members and supporters. Our successes range from protecting millions of acres of wilderness to helping pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. More recently, we've made history by leading the charge to move away from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate disruption and toward a clean energy economy.    Read More about Sierra Club

The National Park Service NPS

John Muir not only has a National Historic Site and Muir Woods National Monument named for him, but schools, hospitals, plants, a rock type, a mammal, a bird, a butterfly, trails, a pass, a glacier, a wilderness area, a beach, an inlet, a mountain, and he's even on the 2005 California state quarter!  Read more on NPS.GOV  National Park Service