Lee Metcalf (1911 - 1978)
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mhs.mt.gov/education/Montanans/LMetcalf.pdfLee Metcalf was born in Stevensville, Montana. Although he only spent one year at UM, his impact across Montana and the country was significant. He established the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge in the Bitterroot Valley. He became the first Montanan to serve his home state in the US Senate. He advocated for wilderness and the protection of natural spaces. The concept of wilderness areas provokes debate. In celebrating natural resource protection, we exclude the history of Native people and their relationship to the environment. In fact, wilderness – defined partly as “a place man visits, but does not remain” – is not consistent with Native people’s beliefs. The wilderness ideal was championed by environmentalists and conservationists around the country and world. Although important and widely celebrated, the ethics of wilderness that he helped formulate are worth contemplating.
For more information, visit the Montana Historical Society, and PBS. |