TFK: Why should Americans be grateful to Theodore Roosevelt when they visit national parks and wildlife areas around the United States?

Markis: The idea of setting aside areas in nature was first suggested by Theodore Roosevelt. He set an example and a standard that was followed by every president since his time. They all set up national parks, national monuments, and wildlife refuges.

TFK: In the conservation world, what was Roosevelt's most important achievement?

Markis: He set aside 230 million acres of land for national parks, wildlife lands, and forests. That's roughly equal to the size of the states on the East coast, from Maine to Florida. It's amazing that he was such a visionary because today we realize that you've got to have the wetlands and the forests.

TFK: What accounted for his being such a visionary?

Markis: When he grew up, the world was seen as having natural resources that would never run out. But during his lifetime he saw how that had changed. Herds of buffalo that once covered the landscape were dying out. Seeing this kind of change made him realize that there was a limit to our resources.

TFK: What would be his message to today's kids?

Markis: Enjoy the natural world and really try to learn from it. As he said when he visited the Grand Canyon in 1903: Leave it as it is. You cannot improve it.

TFK: What do you think Roosevelt would have to say about recycling?

Markis: He'd think it was a good idea. During his lifetime, when he lived at Sagamore Hill, the family had a farm. Recycling was a better part of their life than it is ours. Back then the table scraps were fed to animals for feed and things like scrap wood and scrap paper were burned and used as fuel. During the time that he lived, people naturally recycled. They didn't throw garbage in the garbage can, they fed it to the hogs and to the chickens.

TFK: Roosevelt loved the outdoors. What do you think his advice would be to today's kids, since studies have shown how much more time young people are spending watching TV and playing video games?

Markis: Roosevelt used to say, "Lead a strenuous life." He had this activity that he did with his kids and the cousins all the time, which were called point-to-point marches. You would decide you were going to go from the house to some place-and you were going to go straight. But if you came to a fence, you didn't go around it, you climbed over it. If you came to a pond, you swam across it. The strenuous life was a very important part of his development.

TFK: Why is it important to set aside historic sites such as Sagamore Hill in addition to wilderness areas?

Markis: We better understand how people lived and their actions when we understand the circumstances in which they grew up and functioned. We're connected to history, and it makes history real for us. It's what I call time travel. When you walk into Theodore Roosevelt's study and you see his pictures, his desk, and his possessions, you feel that connection. The only thing missing is the man, but his life and spirit is there.

TFK: Do people come away from a visit to Sagamore Hill with a better understanding of the importance of conservation?

Markis: It's hard to know, but we feel that education is one of our strongest responsibilities. If we don't educate young people and they don't understand our history, all these places will have no meaning for them.