Theodore Roosevelt is considered as "The Conservation President". He was the first US president who put the matter on the table and made efforts in order to preserve the countries wildlife and species.
In one of his speeches, Roosevelt said: "We have become great because of the lavish use of resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen once our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, and the gas are exhausted."
In that statement, he makes connections between patriotism, progress and the morality of people by saying the United States has "become a great country" but makes it clear that resources are limited and efforts need to be done in order to find alternative ways of development.
Roosevelt's environmental ideas materialized with the creation of the United States Forest Service (USFS), which established 150 national forests, 51 bird reserves, 5 national parks, among other protected areas.
