The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of early-life educational experiences on the development of environmental attitudes among historical conservation individuals. Five key individuals who were active in conservation and environmental issues were identified in this study. Specifically, the goal was to discover what caused conservation and environmental ideals and behaviors among the historical figures chosen for this study. The factors found to be consistent in influencing the environmental attitudes of historical environmental/conservation scholars are interaction with nature (alone or with friends), family and education (reading).