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 journal article entitled "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