John Muir was america's preservationist,he wanted wild lands not to be touched at all . and had a great fight with G Pinchot who was a coservationist and for wise use of nature's resources. John's writings led to establishment of many national parks such as yellowstone and founding of the sierra club. Audobon was another environmental pioneer and commemorated as the founder of the audobon society. I am not sure, who the first modern american environmentalist is : Muir or Audobon or ?...

I am a nature lover. America the current king of modern tech and destroyer of nature had also many nature poets and nature lovers, some almost mystical. Such as John Muir, Rachel carson, Audobon. One of them is Walt Whitman, whom I have not read in detail though leaves of grass etc in excerpts. But I still faintly remember what I read long ago in univ library while I was doing my masters......a book on ecology was quoting whitman thus..... "If you remember me after years.... look for ...