Founded by John Muir as an outing group in the 1890s, the Sierra Club was one of the first private organizations to advocate environmental protection. During the 1960s, club president David Brower led the group to national prominence by fighting the construction of dams within the Dinosaur National Monument and the Grand Canyon National Park.

Though still prospering, the Sierra Club has not played the same unquestioned leadership role in recent decades. Nonetheless, many Americans who wish to contribute to an environmental cause will become Sierra Club members because of its broad political agenda and widespread name recognition.