2014 - What has been saved; what has been lost: John Muir's Legacy, 1914-2014

What has been saved; what has been lost: John Muir's Legacy, 1914-2014

University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA,
March 21-22, 2014

The University of the Pacific's John Muir Center celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant, the 100th anniversary of Muir’s death and the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, and the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act by another conference to revisit John Muir’s life and legacy. University of the Pacific hosted the 60th California History Institute on its Stockton campus from Friday, March 21, through Saturday, March 22, 2014. This was the 8th of the series of conferences on John Muir sponsored by the University of the Pacific. Papers were presented by new Muir scholars currently working Muir’s legacy, as well as several familiar names who have become regulars at Muir symposia. Plenary sessions and keynotes were given by three scholars now living in the U. K.: Terry Gifford, Graham White and Andrea Wulf. A special exhibit on the history of the Muir Papers and their present locations was included, as well as coordinated field trips before the symposium.

In the one hundred years since John Muir's death, we raise the question: what has been saved; what has been lost that can be directly associated with Muir's pioneering efforts in conservation and his philosophy and vision of preservation, protection, and wise-public-use which led to establishment of many federal, state, and local parks, preserves, and recreational areas throughout the world, and especially in North America.