Robert Sterling Yard
Wilderness activist and publicist (1861-1945) · United States · On the map · Journalists · Died at 84
Robert Sterling Yard was an American writer, journalist, and wilderness activist. Born in Haverstraw, New York, Yard graduated from Princeton University and spent the first twenty years of his career in the editing and publishing business.
Robert Sterling Yard is read about 6 times a day, in 12 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 11 July 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
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Photos 3
Robert Sterling Yard in Yosemite National Park, 1920
The 1915 dedication of Rocky Mountain National Park; (l to r): Stephen Mather, Yard, acting superintendent Trowbridge, NPS photographer Herford T. Cowling, and Horace M. Albright
Horace Albright enjoying a "bear dinner"; Yard was opposed to such publicity stunts in national parksAbout this person
In 1915, he was recruited by his friend Stephen Mather to help publicize the need for an independent national park agency. Their numerous publications were part of a movement that resulted in legislative support for a National Park Service (NPS) in 1916. Yard served as head of the National Parks Educational Committee for several years after its conception, but tension within the NPS led him to concentrate on non-government initiatives. He became executive secretary of the National Parks Association in 1919.
