Remembering a Conservation Giant

Jimmy Carter’s Unparalleled Legacy of Conservation

Jimmy Carter at Grand Teton National Park during his presidency

As we remember President Jimmy Carter this week I felt the need to write this newsletter, because we are, after all, all about public lands and conservation here at More Than Just Parks. And if you love America’s public lands and the idea of protecting scenic spaces, then you really need to know about Jimmy Carter.

Theodore Roosevelt tends to get all of the love in the conservation world, and he certainly deserves our unending gratitude for his extraordinary work safeguarding America’s natural heritage. But in the Mount Rushmore of conservation, Jimmy Carter deserves his own place of honor.

So just what did the peanut farmer from Georgia accomplish in the field of conservation you ask?

The Last Frontier

Let’s start with the crown jewel of American conservation: the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Signed into law by Carter in 1980, it protected over 157 million acres of Alaska’s wilderness. That’s la…