Environmental Crime and Desecration of a Sacred Space: San Francisco’s Destruction of Hetch Hetchy Valley

• In Event: Green Criminology V: Environment and Corporations

Abstract

Research shows that being in nature is important for people’s well-being. Such “sacred spaces” can serve as a rejuvenating counter to the chaos of contemporary life. Indeed, this is part of the motivation behind designating certain areas as protected lands (e.g., national parks). Yet in 1913, San Francisco was granted permission by Congress to circumvent these protections and build a dam in Yosemite National Park, thereby permanently flooding Hetch Hetchy Valley—a valley that rivaled the main Yosemite Valley in its majesty. As conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir, wrote in his book about Yosemite, “That anyone would try to destroy [Hetch Hetchy Valley] seems incredible…. These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar.” In this paper, we shed light on this case from a criminological perspective. We bring to bear research and theorizing from the “crimes of the powerful” literature and green criminology to better understand the debates surrounding—and ultimate building of—the Hetch Hetchy Dam. We also connect these themes to the sociological literature on well-being—and the importance of natural “sacred spaces.”

Authors

• Clayton Peoples, University of Nevada, Reno

• Catherine High, University of Nevada, Reno

• James E. Sutton, Hobart & William Smith Colleges