Natural Resources

Lithograph of

The natural resources collections offer centuries of evidence about how Americans have used the bounty of the American continent and coastal waters. Artifacts related to flood control, dam construction, and irrigation illustrate the nation's attempts to manage the natural world. Oil-drilling, iron-mining, and steel-making artifacts show the connection between natural resources and industrial strength.

Forestry is represented by saws, axes, a smokejumper's suit, and many other objects. Hooks, nets, and other gear from New England fisheries of the late 1800s are among the fishing artifacts, as well as more recent acquisitions from the Pacific Northwest and Chesapeake Bay. Whaling artifacts include harpoons, lances, scrimshaw etchings in whalebone, and several paintings of a whaler's work at sea. The modern environmental movement has contributed buttons and other protest artifacts on issues from scenic rivers to biodiversity.

Topic: Artifact Walls exhibit

Surveyor’s Chain

In the colonial period and throughout the nineteenth century, most American surveyors measured distances with chains. The favored form was the Gunter, introduced by the English mathematician, Edmund Gunter, in 1620.
Description
In the colonial period and throughout the nineteenth century, most American surveyors measured distances with chains. The favored form was the Gunter, introduced by the English mathematician, Edmund Gunter, in 1620. The standard Gunter chain has 100 links and measures 66 feet (or 4 poles) overall. Thus 80 chains equal a mile, and 10 square chains equal an acre. This example is a half-Gunter, with 50 links measuring 33 feet overall. It is one of several instruments that James Griswold used to lay out the New York and Erie Canal.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
PH.319344
accession number
236805
catalog number
319344

Environmental Button

ZPG refers to Zero Population Growth, an organization founded in the late 1960s to advocate the limitation of family size and to educate citizens about the perils of over-population.Currently not on view
Description
ZPG refers to Zero Population Growth, an organization founded in the late 1960s to advocate the limitation of family size and to educate citizens about the perils of over-population.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1994.0165.06
catalog number
1994.0165.06
accession number
1994.0165

Environmental Button

David Powell, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, designed this button for the Philadelphia Earth Week Committee on the occasion of the first Earth Day in 1970. The button was made by Horn Badge Co. of Glenside, Pennsylvania.Currently not on view
Description
David Powell, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, designed this button for the Philadelphia Earth Week Committee on the occasion of the first Earth Day in 1970. The button was made by Horn Badge Co. of Glenside, Pennsylvania.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1970
maker
Edward Horn Co.
ID Number
1993.3186.05
catalog number
1993.3186.05
nonaccession number
1993.3186

Environmental Button

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. The occasion was first conceived by Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, as a national day of observance for environmental problems.
Description
The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. The occasion was first conceived by Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, as a national day of observance for environmental problems. Millions of people participated in events across the country, while thousands of schools held special educational sessions, all dealing with environmental concerns. Earth Day has since become an annual event, celebrated worldwide.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1970
maker
Edward Horn Co.
ID Number
1993.3186.08
nonaccession number
1993.3186
catalog number
1993.3186.08

Environmental Button

This button depicts the ecology symbol, a small letter “e” inside the larger letter “O,” the letters standing for “environment” and “organism.” Cartoonist Ron Cobb invented the symbol in 1969. The ecology symbol appeared in a green U.S.
Description
This button depicts the ecology symbol, a small letter “e” inside the larger letter “O,” the letters standing for “environment” and “organism.” Cartoonist Ron Cobb invented the symbol in 1969. The ecology symbol appeared in a green U.S. flag for the first time in the April 21, 1970 issue of Look magazine.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Racomex Products
ID Number
1993.3186.01
catalog number
1993.3186.01
nonaccession number
1993.3186

Environmental Button

Few episodes in United States history helped forge today’s culture of environmental awareness more than a controversial proposal to build dams within Grand Canyon National Park.The Grand Canyon’s unique beauty and immense scale have impressed generations of Americans, making the
Description
Few episodes in United States history helped forge today’s culture of environmental awareness more than a controversial proposal to build dams within Grand Canyon National Park.
The Grand Canyon’s unique beauty and immense scale have impressed generations of Americans, making the Northern Arizona landmark one of the nation’s most symbolically rich natural landscapes.
The Canyon is formed by the Colorado River, a water system running from the Rocky Mountains into the Gulf of California. The Colorado is one of the largest sources of fresh water and hydro-electric power available to arid portions of the western United States. The river’s resources have been taxed by ever-increasing populations. Dams had already been built on much of the Colorado when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposed erecting new dams within the Grand Canyon in the mid 1960s. The dams were proposed despite the Grand Canyon’s designation as a federally protected National Park (1919.)
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Big Ed's Buttons
ID Number
2003.0014.0522
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0522

Environmental Button

This popular button protests the use of nuclear power as an energy source.Currently not on view
Description
This popular button protests the use of nuclear power as an energy source.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2003.0014.0452
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0452

Environmental Button

The group "Bike for a Better City" encouraged New York commuters and lawmakers to view bicycling as a means for everyday transportation.
Description
The group "Bike for a Better City" encouraged New York commuters and lawmakers to view bicycling as a means for everyday transportation. The organization, founded in 1970 by Barry Fishman and Harriet Green, called for the establishment of special bike lanes to make city biking safer.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fishman, Barry
ID Number
2003.0014.0051
catalog number
2003.0014.0051
accession number
2003.0014

Environmental Button

This button promotes the recreational uses of nature. The tremendous expansion of outdoor recreation throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s helped raise the level of support for environmental causes. Ironically, it also contributed to the degradation of natural areas.
Description
This button promotes the recreational uses of nature. The tremendous expansion of outdoor recreation throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s helped raise the level of support for environmental causes. Ironically, it also contributed to the degradation of natural areas. The increasing numbers of visitors have caused traffic jams inside national parks and increased use has damaged fragile ecosystems.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Hallmark Cards, Inc.
ID Number
2003.0014.0759
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0759

Environmental Button

The slogan on this button refers to James G. Watt, who was named Secretary of the Interior by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Description
The slogan on this button refers to James G. Watt, who was named Secretary of the Interior by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Due to controversial positions regarding the commercial development of federal lands, environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, and Friends of the Earth criticized Watt during his tenure and called for his ouster. Watt resigned in 1983 after making inappropriate comments before Congress regarding the makeup of his department.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1981-1983
ID Number
2003.0014.1528
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.1528

Environmental Button

Produced by the group Zero Population Growth, this button highlights anxiety created by the continued growth of the world’s population, first remarked upon by Englishman Thomas Malthus in his 1798 work, An Essay on the Principle of Population. Paul R.
Description
Produced by the group Zero Population Growth, this button highlights anxiety created by the continued growth of the world’s population, first remarked upon by Englishman Thomas Malthus in his 1798 work, An Essay on the Principle of Population. Paul R. Ehrlich’s bestselling book The Population Bomb, published in 1968, renewed interest in the topic by raising concerns about the potential risks of overpopulation.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Zero Population Growth
ID Number
2003.0014.0137
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0137

Environmental Button

On March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, off the coast of Alaska. Almost 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the sea, the largest oil spill in United States history.
Description
On March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, off the coast of Alaska. Almost 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the sea, the largest oil spill in United States history. The resulting oil slick contaminated 1,300 miles of coastline and killed over 200,000 sea birds and sea mammals such as otters, seals, and killer whales. The clean-up cost over 2.2 billion dollars.
Environmental disasters are often used to galvanize public support for reform; the Exxon Valdez accident is a perfect example. This button was produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the event.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Badge-A-Minit
ID Number
2003.0014.0831
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0831

Environmental Button

The slogan on this button is a humorous take-off on the well-known “save the whales” buttons, which were popular in the mid-1970s to the 1980s.Currently not on view
Description
The slogan on this button is a humorous take-off on the well-known “save the whales” buttons, which were popular in the mid-1970s to the 1980s.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2003.0014.1256
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.1256

Environmental Button

The California condor decreased in population steadily throughout the 20th century. In 1985 there were believed to be less than two dozen birds left in the wild. That year, the U.S.
Description
The California condor decreased in population steadily throughout the 20th century. In 1985 there were believed to be less than two dozen birds left in the wild. That year, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service embarked upon a controversial program to collect the remaining California condors and breed them in captivity. Due to the success of the program, the condor population now reaches over 240 birds, with over 100 released into areas of California, Arizona and Baja, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Badge-A-Minit
ID Number
2003.0014.0910
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0910

Environmental Button

This button was likely produced in reaction to an oil embargo that occurred in 1973-1974. The embargo caused gas shortages, leading to higher prices and gas rationing, and resulted in long lines at the gas pumps.
Description
This button was likely produced in reaction to an oil embargo that occurred in 1973-1974. The embargo caused gas shortages, leading to higher prices and gas rationing, and resulted in long lines at the gas pumps. This button suggests one possible response to the embargo.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Badge-A-Minit
ID Number
2003.0014.0013
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0013

Environmental Button

This button declares, with a humorous slant, the wearer’s interest in preserving wilderness areas.Currently not on view
Description
This button declares, with a humorous slant, the wearer’s interest in preserving wilderness areas.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2003.0014.0870
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0870

Environmental Button

The “Dirty Dozen” refered to on this button is a list of legislators who were seen as being unsympathetic to environmental causes.
Description
The “Dirty Dozen” refered to on this button is a list of legislators who were seen as being unsympathetic to environmental causes. The list was developed by the League of Conservation Voters and Environmental Action in the 1970s.
Political activism continues to be an important element of the environmental movement. This button illustrates one approach, to oppose political candidates with poor environmental records.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2003.0014.1502
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.1502

Environmental Button

Like the preservation of wilderness areas, the protection of rural landscapes–including family farms–has been an important element of the environmental movement. The American Farmland Trust, an organization founded in 1980, produced this button.Currently not on view
Description
Like the preservation of wilderness areas, the protection of rural landscapes–including family farms–has been an important element of the environmental movement. The American Farmland Trust, an organization founded in 1980, produced this button.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1980
ID Number
2003.0014.1174
catalog number
2003.0014.1174
accession number
2003.0014

Environmental Button

In 1982 eight grassroots activist groups concerned with coastal issues banded together to form the nonprofit North Carolina Coastal Federation. They saw a need for a clearer vision of long-term coastal management.
Description
In 1982 eight grassroots activist groups concerned with coastal issues banded together to form the nonprofit North Carolina Coastal Federation. They saw a need for a clearer vision of long-term coastal management. The establishment of wetland water quality standards and the restoration of estuaries were just two of the concerns addressed by this group.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2003.0014.0836
catalog number
2003.0014.0836
accession number
2003.0014

Environmental Button

Food processing companies use ionizing radiation to kill bacteria, molds, viruses, and insects in order to prevent spoilage and stop the proliferation of disease-causing organisms. Even though food irradiation was approved by the U.S.
Description
Food processing companies use ionizing radiation to kill bacteria, molds, viruses, and insects in order to prevent spoilage and stop the proliferation of disease-causing organisms. Even though food irradiation was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is currently permitted in over forty countries, it is still opposed by many people who view it as “unnatural.”
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Donnelly/Colt
ID Number
2003.0014.1137
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.1137

Environmental Button

The National Association of Audubon Societies was founded in 1905 to protect birds whose populations were being decimated by hunters for the plume (feather) trade.
Description
The National Association of Audubon Societies was founded in 1905 to protect birds whose populations were being decimated by hunters for the plume (feather) trade. The organization was named after John James Audubon, a 19th century naturalist and artist who produced the book series Birds of America, published between 1827 and 1838. In 1940 the Association changed its name to the National Audubon Society, and since that time it has become engaged with a broad array of environmental concerns.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2003.0014.0143
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0143

Environmental Button

The universal symbol for recycling is shown on this button. The symbol, a mobius loop formed by three arrows, was designed as part of a contest in 1970 by University of Southern California student Gary Anderson.Currently not on view
Description
The universal symbol for recycling is shown on this button. The symbol, a mobius loop formed by three arrows, was designed as part of a contest in 1970 by University of Southern California student Gary Anderson.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Badge-A-Minit
ID Number
2003.0014.0273
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0273

Environmental Button

The slogan on this button refers to a campaign by the environmental group the Sierra Club to promote and preserve the wilderness areas of Utah. It dates from the early 1990s.
Description
The slogan on this button refers to a campaign by the environmental group the Sierra Club to promote and preserve the wilderness areas of Utah. It dates from the early 1990s. Wilderness protection was a touchstone issue among some environmental groups, and is still relevant despite the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
early 1990s
ID Number
1999.0248.26
catalog number
1999.0248.26
accession number
1999.0248

Environmental Button

Canadian activists opposed to nuclear testing in Alaska founded Greenpeace in 1971.
Description
Canadian activists opposed to nuclear testing in Alaska founded Greenpeace in 1971. The international organization has since turned its attention to a variety of environmental concerns, such as whaling, bottom trawling, global warming, nuclear power, and genetic engineering.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2003.0014.1156
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.1156

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