Robert Sterling Yard, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Robert Sterling Yard

Wilderness activist and publicist

Date of Birth: 01-Feb-1861

Place of Birth: Haverstraw, New York, United States

Date of Death: 17-May-1945

Profession: writer, journalist, conservationist

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Robert Sterling Yard (February 1, 1861 – May 17, 1945) was an American writer, journalist, and wilderness activist.
Born in Haverstraw, New York, Yard graduated from Princeton University and spent the first twenty years of his career in the editing and publishing business.
In 1915, he was recruited by his friend Stephen Mather to help publicize the need for an independent national park agency.
Their numerous publications were part of a movement that resulted in legislative support for a National Park Service (NPS) in 1916.
Yard served as head of the National Parks Educational Committee for several years after its conception, but tension within the NPS led him to concentrate on non-government initiatives.
He became executive secretary of the National Parks Association in 1919. Yard worked to promote the national parks as well as educate Americans about their use.
Creating high standards based on aesthetic ideals for park selection, he also opposed commercialism and industrialization of what he called "America's masterpieces".
These standards subsequently caused discord with his peers.
After helping to establish a relationship between the NPA and the United States Forest Service, Yard later became involved in the protection of wilderness areas.
In 1935, he became one of the eight founding members of The Wilderness Society and acted as its first president from 1937 until his death eight years later.
Yard is now considered an important figure in the modern wilderness movement.