The Ongoing Debate: Develop or Preserve?
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PBS Learning Media
The Ongoing Debate: Develop or Preserve?
No sooner was Yellowstone established as America's first national park than those allegedly in charge of its protection began developing the land for profit. Charles Bird Grinnell, an early wildlife preservationist, worked with President Theodore Roosevelt to establish firmer protections, but the debate has remained through the centuries: should unique lands be developed for profit or preserved in its natural state?