The State Museum of Pennsylvania will preview WITF’s new short documentaries on Pennsylvania conservation legends Gifford Pinchot and Mira Lloyd Dock. The films will be shown September 15 at 12:15 pm. The videos will be followed by an informative panel discussion featuring Cindy Dunn, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and John Quigley, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Admission to the event is free.
Mira Lloyd Dock: A Beautiful Crusade
In 1899 women were seen not heard. But But not Mira Lloyd Dock, a little known Progressive Era activist. This botanist, forester, and preservationist brought the City Beautiful movement to Pennsylvania’s Capitol city. She helped transform it from a grimy disease ridden mess to a cleanly, manicured and modern state Capitol. During Mira’s 12 years of service on the PA Forest Commission, one million acres of forest became reserves. She was the first woman in the world to be appointed to a public forest commission. And, she was the first woman to hold job in PA government either appointed or elected.
Gifford Pinchot’s Conservation Legacy
As America’s first trained forester and conservationist, Gifford Pinchot used his wealth, intellect and power to protect the nation’s natural resources for “the greatest good, for the greatest number, in the long run.” In 1898, Pinchot was appointed as Chief of the Division of Forestry in the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President William McKinley. And in 1905 he became head of the newly established United States Forest Service. Working with President Theodore Roosevelt, he played a significant role in shaping American conservation policy and expanding the nation’s forest reserves. As Governor of Pennsylvania Pinchot helped pull rural farmers out of the mud with the establishment of Pinchot roads. During the great Depression he put Pennsylvanians back to work regenerating clear cut forests and planting trees, paving the way for the national Civilian Conservation Corps program.
