Final answer:
Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft both contributed to environmental conservation, with Roosevelt's emphasis on scientific management of natural resources and the creation of national parks, while Taft focused on legislative action and preservation of lands, though less actively than Roosevelt.
Step-by-step explanation:
The environmental conservation approaches of Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft were marked by their respective contributions to the protection and management of natural resources.
Roosevelt, influenced by conservationists like Gifford Pinchot and John Muir, took a broad approach to conservation, focusing on scientific management, establishing national parks, and creating wildlife sanctuaries. He was also an advocate for the wise use of natural resources for recreation, which included regulated hunting to preserve species, and expanded national forests.
Taft's approach to conservation was more administrative in nature. He continued some conservation efforts, notably placing more land under federal protection than Roosevelt during his one term.
Taft also passed legislation granting the president authority to block land sales, despite being criticized for firing Pinchot and his perceived sympathy towards business exploitation of Alaska's natural resources. Overall, Taft's conservation efforts were overshadowed by the firing of Pinchot and his stance which seemed less proactive compared to Roosevelt's passionate environmental advocacy.