gifford pinchot. coyote: gifford pinchot was a graduate of yale who had studied forestry in germany and france and returned as the first american to declare himself a professional forester. he and john muir had met in 1896 and in the beginning enjoyed each other's company camping together on the rim of the grand canyon. but while the two men agreed that america's forests were being rapaciously destroyed, they ultimately parted company on the solution. muir considered forests sacred. he wanted them treated as parks with logging, grazing, and hunting prohibited. pinchot didn't agree. he wanted forests protected, too, but he believed the best way to do it was to manage their use, not leave them alone. his favorite saying was "the greatest good "for the greatest number." man as john muir: much is said on questions of this kind about the greatest good for the greatest number, but the greatest number is too often found to be number one. it is never the greatest number in the common meaning of the term that

coyote: meanwhile, an old adversary of muir's stepped forward on the city's behalf-- gifford pinchot. as the nation's top forester and president roosevelt's trusted adviser, pinchot had become one of the most powerful men in washington. at his urging, roosevelt had reserved millions of acres of western land as national forests in the face of congressional opposition. pinchot steadfastly believed that conservation meant wise use of nature not preserving it for its own sake and he had never been a wholehearted supporter of national parks, let alone john muir's unbending vision of protecting and expanding them. when a new interior secretary joined the administration, pinchot began lobbying him in support of the dam. in response, muir once again took his case to the man with whom he had shared 3 magical nights in the park back in 1903-- the outdoorsman he considered a friend and kindred spirit. man as john muir: april 21 1908. dear mr. president a few promoters of the present scheme all show forth a proud set of confidence that comes from a good, sound, substantial irrefragable ignorance.