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Abstract
The Fight for Conservation epitomized Gifford Pinchot's tenure as chief forester and public advocate of resource preservation from 1901 to 1910. Indeed, his efforts to introduce conservation and scientific forestry to the public were effective for departmental expansion, gaining favorable public sentiment, and the accumulation of emerging forests. Pinchot distributed pamphlets, authored various publications, and staged multiple events that included conservation conferences with elected officials, economic elites, and even a steamboat trip with President Theodore Roosevelt down the Mississippi River—publicity techniques similar to the emerging practices of professionalized public relations. As Pinchot's contributions to conservation are notable, his use of publicity techniques vis-à-vis professional public relations has received insufficient treatment, particularly among the outlets Pinchot sought to engage for public influence (the press). Considering Pinchot's environmental ideology as expressed in The Fight for Conservation, this analysis draws on historical press accounts to uncover the nuance of Pinchot as forester and press agent.
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Jason R. Holley
JASON R. HOLLEY completed this manuscript while attaining his master's degree at the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is now a doctoral student in communication at Cornell University. His research examines science and environmental communication in contemporary and historical contexts.