American Sportsmen and the Origins of Conservation

"Beginning in the 1870s, sportsmen across America formed hundreds of organizations that not only fostered responsibility for game habitats but also spearheaded the creation of national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. Reiger tells how these "gentlemen" hunters and anglers, outdoor journals like Forest and Stream, and organizations such as the Boone and Crockett Club - founded by Theodore Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell, and other prominent sportsmen - lobbied for laws regulating the taking of wildlife, and helped to arouse public interest in wilderness preservation."