"Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first, most prominent, and most influential conservationists this nation has ever known. Paul Russell Cutright shows exactly how Roosevelt's early years contained the seeds of and led inevitably to the pioneering environmental policies he established during his presidency. Focusing on the years 1867-1901, Cutright illuminates Roosevelt's consistent preoccupation with the natural world (especially birds). He highlights TR's boyhood museum of natural history; juvenile notebooks and essays on biology; mastery of taxidermy; Harvard training as a natural history major; travels to and writings on the Adirondacks, the West, Europe, and the Middle East; involvement with the Boone and Crockett Club; and successful conservation efforts as governor of New York. All of these experiences gave Roosevelt the president the firm foundation he needed to become one of our country's foremost conservationists"--Jacket.