Benton MacKaye

Benton MacKaye ( ; March 6, 1879 – December 11, 1975) was an American forester, planner and conservationist. He was born in Stamford, Connecticut; his father was actor and dramatist Steele MacKaye. After studying forestry at Harvard University , Benton taught there for several years. He held positions in the U.S. Forest Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Department of Labor; he was also a member of the Technical Alliance where he participated in the ''Energy Survey of North America''.

MacKaye helped pioneer the idea of land preservation for recreation and conservation purposes and was a strong advocate of balancing human needs and those of nature; he coined the term "geotechnics" to describe this philosophy. In addition to writing the first argument against urban sprawl, MacKaye also authored two books, ''The New Exploration: A Philosophy of Regional Planning'' and ''Expedition Nine: A Return to a Region''. Thirteen of his essays were published in the collection ''From Geography to Geotechnics''. A co-founder of The Wilderness Society, he is best known as the originator of the Appalachian Trail, an idea he presented in his 1921 article titled ''An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning.'' The Benton MacKaye Trail, some portions of which coincide with the Appalachian Trail, is named after him. Provided by Wikipedia