Continuing work to advance the conservation cause

Excerpt

On August 1, 2008, I will be stepping down as executive director of the Soil and Water Conservation Society to take up the post of Midwest vice president of the Environmental Working Group. A lot of people have asked me why I am making this move, which has caused me to reflect on what I've done during my 30 years in conservation. Looking back, it seems to me I've spent my career at the intersection of conservation science, practice, policy, and advocacy. Sometimes my jobs have emphasized one of those four areas more than the others, but the basic approach has been same—bringing science and facts to bear to shape conservation policy and programs.

You have probably noticed a growing sense of urgency in my columns about the natural resource and environmental challenges we face. Issues around water, energy, and climate change are, I think, combining to question our capacity to produce food, fiber, and maybe fuel, while sustaining the natural resources and the ecosystems on which we depend. A serious controversy has already broken out about food versus biofuel production. More such conflicts will be coming our way. How we resolve those conflicts will shape the kind of world …