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49-711: Tebenkof Bay Wilderness was created by Congress and signed into law on December 2, 1980, as a provision of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act . The Kuiu was created by Congress and signed into law on November 28, 1990, as part of the Tongass Timber Reform Act. The landscape of Kuiu Island has much in common with other areas of the Alexander Archipelago — heavily glaciated mountains alternating with narrow, deep fjords . Within

98-600: A physician and entered the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons . However, he dropped out after only one year. In 1939, Morton married the former Anne Jones. They had two children, David Clark and Anne Morton. In 1938, Morton was commissioned in the United States Navy but only served for a short time due to problems with his back. Afterwards, he entered his family's flour business, Ballard & Ballard. In 1941, at

147-579: A bill. On May 19, 1978, H.R. 39 was passed by the House of Representatives . H.R. 39 was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for mark up and combined with a number of other bills pertaining to Alaska lands. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was instrumental in making significant changes to the original House resolution. The final bill submitted by the Senate energy committee

196-591: A director and a member of the executive committee for several more years. In 1947, Morton spent a great deal of time helping his brother Thruston in his ultimately successful campaign for election to the House of Representatives in Kentucky . After this initial exposure to politics, Morton moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the early 1950s, where he set up a 1,400 acres (5.7 km ) cattle farm along

245-771: A popular destination for kayaking and canoeing, offering experienced backcountry paddlers a mix of peaceful, sheltered waterways and difficult, open-ocean traverses. Several portages are available when seas are particularly treacherous. Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act ( ANILCA ) is a United States federal law signed by President Jimmy Carter on December 2, 1980. ANILCA provided varying degrees of special protection to over 157 million acres (640,000 km ) of land, including national parks , national wildlife refuges , national monuments , wild and scenic rivers , recreational areas , national forests , and conservation areas . It was, and remains to date,

294-613: Is possible only by boat or floatplane, with the most convenient Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal being in Kake . One rustic camping shelter is available on a first-come, first-served basis, located near the shoreline of the Bay of Pillars . The shelter was built in 1997, but was designed to be reminiscent of those constructed in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps crews working in Southeast Alaska. The two wilderness areas are

343-583: The Baltimore Sun encouraged him to challenge Tydings. Sources within the administration of Vice President Spiro Agnew , who was formerly governor of Maryland, were also commenting that Morton would make a strong candidate and would likely run. When Morton stated he would be making an important announcement with President Nixon in December 1969, it seemed all but certain at the time that it would be to declare his candidacy. However, Republicans around

392-526: The 1968 Republican National Convention , Morton served as the floor manager for eventual presidential nominee Richard Nixon . Morton also delivered the speech nominating Spiro Agnew , then- governor of Maryland , as the vice presidential candidate. Due to his role in Nixon's election campaign and his environmental advocacy, Morton expected to be appointed as Secretary of the Interior in 1969. However, he

441-629: The Bureau of Land Management ; the addition of 9.1 million acres (37,000 km ) to the Wilderness Preservation System , and the addition of 3.35 million acres (13,600 km ) to Tongass and Chugach National Forests . The act provided for the creation or expansion of several Conservation System Units (CSUs) including: In 1971 the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)

490-721: The Chesapeake Bay , including laws reducing pollution into the bay, working for the creation of a national park on Assateague Island , and providing funds to the Army Corps of Engineers to model how the Bay functions as an estuary . Concerning civil rights , Morton voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , but cast no vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1968 . During

539-776: The National Park Service became concerned as 1978 dragged on that no action would be taken on the "national interest lands" included in the Morton Proposal, and as early as July 1978 the Park Service had taken the first steps to secure additional protection when it began to draft national monument proclamations for proposed NPS areas. President Carter used the Antiquities Act to designate 56 million acres (230,000 km ) as 17 National Monuments by executive order on December 1, 1978. Much of

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588-784: The Republican National Committee and representing Kentucky in both the United States House of Representatives and then the United States Senate . Morton received his early education from the Woodberry Forest School near Orange, Virginia , and in 1937 graduated from Yale University , where he was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Phi chapter). Like his father, Morton worked to become

637-637: The Republican Party won a majority of seats in the Senate . Conservationists and other proponents of the legislation recognized that if they did not accept the compromise then on the table, they would be forced to begin again in the next Congress with decidedly less support. The bill was passed in late November, and signed into law by President Carter in December. Senator Gravel, meanwhile, took considerable blame in Alaska for forcing Carter's hand with

686-991: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the 1973 oil crisis . Morton was the only person from the East Coast to serve as head of the Interior Department in the 20th century. Following Nixon's resignation due to the Watergate Scandal , Morton continued in his post in the Gerald Ford administration until 1975, when he was nominated to serve as Secretary of Commerce . From April to August 1976, Morton served as Ford's campaign manager in his bid for election. Morton retired from politics following Ford's election defeat. Three years later, he died of cancer at his home in Easton on

735-573: The U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland . Morton was born in Louisville , Kentucky , and moved to a farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the early 1950s. In 1962, he was elected to the House of Representatives, in which capacity he established a pro-environment record. Morton would joke that his two middle initials stood for "Chesapeake Bay". In 1968, Morton played a major role in Richard Nixon 's campaign for president, and

784-617: The Wye River in Talbot County . In 1962, Morton decided to challenge Democratic incumbent Thomas Francis Johnson of Maryland's 1st congressional district . Johnson, who was reeling from a political scandal, lost to Morton in the general election. Morton was lauded for not making Johnson's legal troubles his primary campaign issue. Morton was reelected to Congress four more times, and served from 1963 until 1971. In Congress, Morton worked to enact legislation that would preserve

833-456: The "Morton Proposal." These lands were withdrawn from all forms of public appropriation under the public land laws pending action from Congress, setting the stage for the eventual passage of ANILCA. As stated, the "d-2" provision of ANCSA set a deadline for the Secretary to withdraw lands within nine months of the passage of ANCSA. In addition, ANCSA also set a deadline for Congress to act on

882-477: The 1970 election because of Tydings' wealth and popularity in the dense urban areas of Montgomery County and Baltimore . However, despite initial misgivings by state Republicans, Beall defeated Tydings on November 3, 1970, by a margin of more than 30,000 votes. Morton continued to serve in the House and as chairman of the RNC until 1971, when he was nominated to be Secretary of the Interior by President Nixon. He

931-552: The Antiquities Act. Though Carter was hardly held blameless for the creation of the new national monuments, Gravel was taken to task for the unpopular decision as well and was denied his party's nomination for his Senate seat in the 1980 election . With the passage of time, however, and now, several decades later, support for the vision of ANILCA has increased, even among former detractors in Alaska ;– as

980-495: The Ford election committee. In rebuttal, Morton stated "you can't separate government from politics", and that Presidential aides should be allowed to offer political advice. In April 1976, Morton was named campaign manager for Ford leading up to the 1976 presidential election . He replaced former U.S. Representative Howard Callaway of Georgia , who was forced to resign following allegations of improper use of authority while he

1029-555: The Interior in the administration of President Gerald Ford. In March 1975, while still serving as the head of the Interior Department, Morton was nominated by Ford to serve as the next Secretary of Commerce . Ford cited Morton's extensive business experience as the primary factor for selecting him and expressed the hope that Morton would be able to "encourage American business to expand energy development and conservation efforts". In January 1976, Ford announced Morton would be resigning as commerce secretary to instead serve as Counselor to

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1078-582: The Interior to withdraw up to 80 million acres of land from development for conservation purposes. These lands, referred to as "d-2" lands, were to be available for potential congressional designation as National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, Wild and Scenic rivers, or National Forests. The "d-2" provision of ANCSA gave the Secretary nine months to withdraw lands before they would re-open to development. On December 17, 1972, Interior Secretary Rogers Morton forwarded 127.1 million acres (514,000 km ) of selected lands to Congress under 17(d)(1) and 17(d)(2), known as

1127-515: The Morton proposal as H.R. 12336, and the next day Senator Henry M. Jackson (D-Washington) introduced the Senate version of the bill. These bills were the first of many failed proposals leading to the eventual passage of ANILCA seven years later. Over the course of the seven years many bills were introduced with a wide range of proposals for disposal of the selected lands. As the sunset date approached in 1978 both chambers of Congress scrambled to pass

1176-601: The President with cabinet rank. Morton's new position was to advise the president on domestic and economic policy. In addition, Morton was to serve as the special liaison to the political committee to elect President Ford. Morton's duties blurred the line between his public and political duties, and caused controversy concerning how Morton would divide his time between the White House and Ford's election campaign, and how much of his salary would be supplied by taxpayers versus

1225-419: The Secretary's withdrawal within five years of the passage of ANCSA; if the Secretary did not act to withdraw lands earmarked for special protections within nine months of the passage of ANCSA, or Congress did not act to implement the Secretary's selection within five years of the passage of ANCSA, the lands would be reopened to development. On January 29, 1973, Congressman James A. Haley (D-Florida) introduced

1274-556: The administration of Gerald Ford . In 1969, leading up to the 1970 elections , Morton was considered one of the strongest potential candidates to challenge incumbent Democratic senator Joseph Tydings . Morton had sought the Republican nomination for Maryland's other U.S. Senate seat in the 1968 elections , but bowed out in favor of Congressman Charles Mathias to prevent a primary battle. Speculation that Morton would seek election to Tydings' seat increased after an editorial in

1323-410: The bill expedited the enactment of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Rogers Morton Rogers Clark Ballard Morton (September 19, 1914 – April 19, 1979) was an American politician who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce during the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford , respectively. He also served as a member of

1372-424: The bill. With adjournment fast approaching, a provision to extend the (d)(2) protections for one more year to allow for additional time to pass a bill was passed in the House, and introduced in the Senate on October 16, 1978. Gravel threatened a filibuster , and the provision did not pass the Senate. The sunset provision of section (d)(2) of ANCSA was set to expire on December 18, 1978. The Interior Department and

1421-526: The country were concerned that Morton, who had just been appointed chairman of the RNC in January 1969, would resign during the election season to better handle the battle with Tydings. President Nixon shared their concerns, and encouraged Morton to remain as chairman. On December 16, 1969, with Nixon by his side, Morton announced that his priorities were with the national committee, and that he would not seek Tydings' seat. Morton also threw his full support for

1470-566: The eastern shore of Maryland. Morton was born in Louisville, the son of David Clark Morton, a physician , and his wife, Mary Harris Ballard Morton, an heiress to a flour milling business. He was related to George Rogers Clark , a military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War . Morton was one of three children; his brother Thruston B. Morton also had a career in politics, serving as chairman of

1519-548: The lands designated as National Monument were part of the original Morton Proposal. An additional 40 million acres (160,000 km ) were withdrawn under the authority of section 204(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act by Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus . Carter stated that he had been forced to use the Antiquities Act by Congress's failure to act in a reasonable time, but his actions nevertheless caused wide protest across Alaska. President Carter

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1568-431: The need to work toward passage of an acceptable bill, rather than no bill at all. However, in 1978, 75 seats in the House had changed hands, producing a much more conservative body than the one that had supported Carter's use of the Antiquities Act. Proponents were forced to continue to work compromises, and the bill's passage was further delayed. In early November 1980, Jimmy Carter lost re-election to Ronald Reagan , and

1617-401: The nomination behind J. Glenn Beall Jr. , a freshman member of the House from Cumberland , Mathias's successor in the House, and son of former senator James Glenn Beall . Morton's decision not to challenge Tydings initially worried Maryland Republicans, who saw Morton as one of their best candidates. National Republican strategists had also begun to write off Tydings' seat as unwinnable for

1666-459: The oil and natural gas divisions of the department were transferred to the Office of Emergency Preparedness. Furthermore, though Morton was the one who announced the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System , speculation was put forward that he did not play a major role in determining its route. As he was leaving his post in 1975, further criticism was directed at Morton for his overseeing

1715-734: The outset of World War II , Morton enlisted in the Armored Field Artillery of the United States Army as a private and served in the European Theater . He received a commission during the war and left the army as a captain in 1945. After the war, Morton returned to the family business, where he served as president from 1947 to 1951. In 1952, the business was merged into the Pillsbury Flour Company , where Morton went on to serve as

1764-456: The partial dismantling of the Interior Department. He was also criticized for lacking the vigor necessary to serve as head of a cabinet department, and for failing to see through the proposed creation of a new, stronger cabinet department that would have replaced Interior. Following the resignation of President Nixon in the Watergate scandal , Morton continued in his position as Secretary of

1813-768: The protection. The final bill accelerated logging in the Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest, by giving the US Forest Service a yearly $ 40,000,000 appropriation to cut timber, not subject to the appropriation laws but derived from the taxes on oil etc, and by providing that 450 million board feet of trees would be clearcut each year. This was the price conservationists paid in the compromise. Under Title VIII, Subsistence Management And Use, not just Alaska Natives qualified but also rural residents were granted hunting and fishing rights when fish and game are not under outside threat. In addition

1862-777: The single largest expansion of protected lands in history and more than doubled the size of the National Park System . The Act provided for 43.585 million acres (176,380 km ) of new national parklands in Alaska; the addition of 9.8 million acres (40,000 km ) to the National Wildlife Refuge System; twenty-five wild and scenic rivers, with twelve more to be studied for that designation; establishment of Misty Fjords and Admiralty Island National Monuments in Southeast Alaska; establishment of Steese National Conservation Area and White Mountains National Recreation Area to be managed by

1911-631: The spectacular parks, monuments, refuges and other areas set aside by the 1980 legislation have become a significant boon to Alaska tourism and the State's economy. A telephone poll in 2000 showed that 45 percent of Alaskans supported the protection of the ANILCA-designated 1002 coastal plain area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the most controversial aspect of ANILCA's protected areas, while 49 percent opposed

1960-507: The towns would not support NPS authorities, not enforce NPS regulations, and would shelter individuals who broke the regulations. Though these protests continued for some time, the designation of the monuments broke the legislative opposition to ANILCA. Some in Congress, and various oil and gas industry, and other development interest, continued to oppose passage of the bill, but in the wake of Carter's proclamations most opponents recognized

2009-461: The wilderness areas can be found a variety of ecological communities, including muskeg , Pacific temperate rain forest dominated by Sitka spruce and western hemlock , and alpine tundra zones as low as 2,000 feet above sea level. Prior to European colonization, significant populations of Tlingit native people lived on the island, particularly in Tebenkof Bay. Access to the wilderness

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2058-523: Was Secretary of the Army . Morton directed Ford's campaign until August 25, 1976, when he was reassigned as chairman of a steering committee and was replaced by James Baker of Houston , Texas . Morton's demotion was at his own request; he said that he no longer wished to bear "the responsibility and accountability of the chairmanship". After the 1976 campaign, Morton retired from politics to his farm, "Presqu'isle", near Easton , Maryland, where he operated

2107-607: Was burned in effigy in Fairbanks . Residents in the Cantwell area undertook a large act of civil disobedience known as the Great Denali Trespass  – they went into the park, fired off guns, made campfires, and conducted various other activities prohibited under Federal regulations. The towns of Eagle and Glennallen , both in the shadow of new monuments, produced official proclamations stating that

2156-416: Was chosen by Nixon in 1969 to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee . In the elections of 1970 , Morton was considered a strong candidate to challenge Joseph Tydings for his U.S. Senate seat from Maryland, but he chose instead to remain as chairman of the RNC. In 1971, President Nixon tapped Morton to serve as Secretary of the Interior , during which time he oversaw the construction of

2205-484: Was deemed unacceptable by the Carter administration and supporters of H.R. 39 in the House. With limited time left before adjournment, the House and Senate conferenced in order to resolve differences between the two bills. Senator Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) inserted himself into the negotiations, making a number of new demands not included in either bill. Changes made to the bill did not satisfy Gravel, and he refused to support

2254-405: Was passed over for the position in favor of a westerner . He had also been considered for Nixon's vice presidential running mate, but lost out to Agnew. In January 1969, to recognize his efforts, Nixon appointed Morton as chairman of the Republican National Committee . As chairman, Morton was granted ex officio cabinet rank by Nixon, an unprecedented practice that ultimately continued through

2303-469: Was signed into law to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in Alaska, as well as to stimulate economic development throughout Alaska. Section 17(d)(1) gave the Secretary of the Interior ninety days to withdraw from development any lands necessary "to insure that the public interest in these lands is properly protected." Additionally, Section 17(d)(2) directed the Secretary of

2352-411: Was the only person from the east coast to serve as Interior Secretary in the 20th century. Upon assuming the office of Secretary of the Interior, Morton promised he would seek to "purify the environment". However, as his tenure progressed, he was gradually isolated from the proceedings of the White House and lost several major divisions to other departments. During the 1973 oil crisis , for example,

2401-550: Was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate Subcommittee on the Interior, though some concerns regarding Morton's record of environmental protection were raised by Phillip Berry, then-President of the Sierra Club . Morton's predecessor, Wally Hickel , had been chosen over Morton to fill the job in 1969, but was fired by Nixon in late 1970 for criticizing White House policy. Morton

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