The Lorax planted the seed…..
When it comes to conservation I am a complete generalist. I support them all. From the giants like National Resource Defense Council , Ducks Unlimited, The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The Sierra Club, to more local organizations like Alliance for the Wild Rockies and The Kootenai Environmental Alliance. Each organization has its own philosophy about protecting habitat and animals but essentially they are all headed in the right direction. I’m not concerned with the details as long as the outcome is the same.
It didn’t used to be like this, of course. I used to think that there was only one way to protect habitat, and that way was through radical direct action. And in certain instances I still do. I have always been inspired by three things above all else in life: passion, compassion, and guts. And when I see people and groups that exhibit these three qualities, for better or worse, I get inspired. People like Abbey Hoffman, Jeanette Rankin, Doug Peacock, Jane Goodall, Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, Mohandas Gandhi, Jimmy Carter, Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, Ralph Nader, Hunter S. Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut, William T. Vollmann, Hank Fischer, Kinky Friedman, John Waters, Rachel Carson, Dave Foreman, Howie Wolke, Henry David Thoreau, Noam Chomsky, Julia Butterfly Hill and a host of personal relationships I have had the fortune of encountering and cultivating, my dad being foremost amongst them. These three qualities rise above and trump the often negative human qualities that we all possess. When it comes to conservation issues the two people who initially inspired me into action were Paul Watson, and Edward Abbey. Their approach and attitude toward saving the last best places and critters was very appealing in the beginning, and continues to be as I get older.
Over the years I have broadened my thinking a bit. I started to realize that everyone involved in conservation is on the right path, and that no one way of protecting habitat is better than the other. Some may be more or less successful, but they all share the same goal. Where I fit into that mix is my own personal choice, and part of that choice has evolved from where I feel most effective. At this point in my life that is through education. Getting young people excited about the outdoors. That seems to work for me. It all works in the end. Giving a voice to the voiceless.
Make it fun.
(pic: Dad)
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