Manchester Historical Association’s Millyard Museum,
200 Bedford St., Manchester, N.H.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
6:30 p.m.

(Concord) – The New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA) has received a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council (NHHC) to present the Living History Presentation: Gifford Pinchot,
Written and developed by Gary Hines, Pinchot is a 60 minute professional one act, one person play incorporating live theatre, stereo sound, and occasional video. Living History Presentation: Gifford Pinchot will be presented Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the Manchester Historical Association’s Millyard Museum. The Weeks Panels will be available for viewing. They depict the forest environment at the turn of the century and the resultant steps leading up to the passage of the Weeks Act.

The performance centers on Gifford Pinchot, America’s first forester and first Chief of the United States Forest Service and his historical retelling of the beginnings of the conservation movement as he lived it. Born into great wealth, Pinchot used his family connections, as well as his imagination and love for the outdoors, to shape the initial ideas of environmental conservation in this country. Ironically, many of those same issues and controversies still face the nation and the world today.

Pinchot discusses his family, his first glimpse of practical forestry and his eventual training and immersion into the profession. He presents the United States as it was at the turn of the century—with rampant monopolies, unchecked forest destruction, and the lack of any national resource direction. All of these presented formidable challenges to the young forester.

Pinchot talks of many things—from his night with John Muir on the rim of the Grand Canyon with his journeys into Yosemite and the Big Trees of California, to his eventual split with Muir over “use” verses “preservation.” The play further explores Pinchot’s friendship with Theodore Roosevelt, his subsequent appointment as Chief Forester of the United States, the creation of the Forest Service, and his eventual firing by President Taft. The performance briefly mentions his two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania, and concludes with a brief reading from his final book “Breaking New Ground”.

This program is free and open to the public, space is limited and registration with NHTOA is encouraged (603) 224-9699.

The New Hampshire Humanities Council nurtures the joy of learning and inspires community engagement by bringing life-enhancing ideas from the humanities to the people of New Hampshire. They connect people with ideas. Learn more about the Council and its work at www.nhhc.org. Additional local support is provided by the Manchester Historic Association, the United States Forest Service, and Plymouth State University.