John Muir argued that it would be an incalculable loss if these “temples of nature” were to be hunted, logged and mined into obl
ivion. Muir—not to mention Yosemite—convinced me. As a devoted conservationist, I returned to Washington fired up to argue that America’s wild assets must belong to the public and must be staunchly preserved by the laws of the land. Who Am I?
The northwest ordinance, officially titled "An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio," was adopted by the Confederation Congress on July 13, 1787.
