Gathering strength from diversity

Excerpt

IN a world troubled by ethnic cleansing, racial injustice, inferior status for women, and time-worn religious conflicts, the reality of diversity is unavoidable. In the face of such strife, the benefits of a blended society for all are often obscured by the need of individuals and groups within that society to establish a right to exist before cooperative enterprises can be undertaken.

I won't solve the world's problems in one column, nor will I try. Instead, I will tackle some myths about the diversity or lack thereof in the Soil and Water Conservation Society and suggest some approaches to capitalizing on diversity within SWCS and among all the conservation players as a means of providing leadership on natural resource issues.

First, the myths. Some people believe that SWCS is dominated by one agency—the USDA SCS. Yet the, fact is that less than halfof SWCS members are SCS employees or retired SCS employees. Just four of the eleven members on the SWCS Board of Directors are SCS employees. Is the membership old? Well, 16% of …