It is doubtful whether, except in time of war, any new idea of like importance has ever been presented to a Nation and accepted by it with such effectiveness and rapidity, as was the case with this Conservation movement when it was introduced to the American people by the Conference of Governors.

The first result was the unanimous declaration of the Governors of all the States and Territories upon the subject of Conservation, a document which ought to be hung in every schoolhouse throughout the land.

A further result was the appointment of thirty-six State Conservation Commissions and, on June 8, 1908, of the National Conservation Commission.

The task of this Commission was to prepare an inventory, the first ever made for any nation, of all the natural resources which underlay its property.

The making of this inventory was made possible by an Executive order which placed the resources of the Government Departments at the command of the Commission, and made possible the organization of subsidiary committees by which the actual facts for the inventory were prepared and digested.
Gifford Pinchot was made chairman of the Commission.
The report of the National Conservation Commission was not only the first inventory of our resources, but was unique in the history of Government in the amount and variety of information brought together.