Eric Michael Johnson

How John Muir's Brand of Conservation Led to the Decline of Yosemite

John Muir’s brand of conservation, rooted in the myth of the "pristine wilderness", led to ecological decline in Yosemite by erasing Indigenous land management. Writing for Scientific American, Eric Michael Johnson detailed how Muir’s promotion of total fire suppression and the exclusion of Native Americans fundamentally altered the park’s fragile ecosystem.