| Lyndon Johnson, during his presidency, modeled an approach to conservation that anticipated the national development of conservation into modern environmentalism. The 1960s brought a renewed awareness of the importance of the natural environment. The "new conservation," as Stewart Udall tagged it, grew from concerns over post-war economic and demographic trends. The Johnson administration brought the federal government into new areas of pollution regulation, expanded funding for existing programs, and actively generated increased public awareness of conservation. After orchestrating intense campaigns for conservation legislation in the Congress, Johnson signed important and innovative bills, including the Wilderness Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and Land and Water Conservation Fund. As demonstrated during the controversy over the proposal to put new dams on the Colorado River, the struggle to fashion a coherent conservation policy challenged the administration's commitment to conservation and understanding of the changing nature of the American debate on environment. |
