Michael McCloskey, Who Built Sierra Club Into Political Force, Dies at 92
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 11
Michael McCloskey, Who Built Sierra Club Into Political Force, Dies at 92
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 11
Summary
Michael McCloskey died on Oct. 30 at an assisted living facility in Portland, Oregon, at 92; his stepdaughter said congestive heart failure was the cause.
Across 39 years at the Sierra Club, McCloskey helped turn a small California conservation group into a national lobbying force that shaped major U.S. environmental laws on clean air, clean water, wilderness and wildlife.
From 1969 to 1985 as executive director, he recruited more than 300,000 members, expanded the annual budget to $23 million from $3 million and grew staff to 300 from 30.
His campaigns and legislative work helped protect Redwood and North Cascades national parks, 104 million acres of Alaska wilderness and more than 6,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers.