Teddy Roosevelt was and is universally known in the United States as an avid hunter and the catalyst of the conservationist movement. Roosevelt started to show an interest in conservationism when he went out to the west when he was young to hunt only to find that most of the natural habitat had been severely damaged by overhunting. When Roosevelt became president in 1901 he used his authority to bring attention to the subject of conservationism. In 1906 Roosevelt signed the Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities which established many national parks. Roosevelt’s efforts led to the increased efforts towards conservationism and resulted in many of the United States natural habitats being saved.