Book Description

This dissertation examines the changing definition of conservation and preservation throughout the twentieth century and how this is reflected in the institutional history of the Metroparks of the Toledo Area. Metroparks has broadened its concentration on the conservation and preservation of the natural environment to include the care, maintenance, restoration, and interpretation of the historical sites within the park boundaries. The overlapping of natural and historical environments permits Metroparks to interpret the cultural landscape of Northwest Ohio, better connecting people to their sense of place. The conservation movement, a subcategory of the environmental movement, provides a framework for the institutional history of Metroparks. The American conservation movement is divided into three periods. The first period typically referred to as the conservation movement, placed emphasis on the wise use of natural resources. In Toledo, the creation of a metropolitan park district helped city planners and activists to achieve goals identified by the city efficient and city beautiful movements. Metroparks participated in the second period of the conservation movement, characterized by the public work relief projects of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, and developed the initial parks of the district. The management decisions made during the formative years of the park district emphasized conservation rather than preservation. In the final period, the environmental movement which highlighted quality of life issues, Metroparks introduces preservation management philosophies through interpretative programming for the natural and cultural resources throughout the Metropolitan Park District of the Toledo Area.