Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Howard Zahniser was a significant figure in the American environmental movement in the 1950s and 1960s. His work on the Wilderness Act of 1964—he is credited with writing most of it—was instrumental in its final passage.

President Lyndon Johnson signs the Wilderness Act on September 3, 1964.

The National Wild and Scenic River system, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, is an attempt to protect U.S. rivers in their natural state from development as much as possible. More than 12,500 miles of rivers have such protection.

The Missouri National Recreation River, established in 1964, is administered by the U.S. National Park Service.