A conservationist's response to the subversive conservationist

Excerpt

I understand clearly why a conservationist becomes subversive. I understand the frustrations that befall professionals and academics and other members of the conservation community who, despite devoting their lives to improving the land, protecting it, and championing its cause, bear witness to a general retreat from the principle of stewardship and individual responsibility for the health of the land. The past decade has been frustrating to all of us, including those who work within the agencies that have been entrusted with delivering conservation to land users and helping to protect our natural resources.

As the subversive conservationist states (Nowak 2009), conservation, as reflected in farm bill policy, has shifted from what a farmer or landowner should do to a focus on funding, cost sharing, or some kind of financial support/incentive. Debates at the national level surround the question of what new government program is needed to fill gaps to compensate those responsible for the land and reward them for actions taken for benefits not just to the landowner but society as well. Success in federal policy does seem to be measured by the size of funding authorizations and budgets.

I do not blame professional program managers for this trend; government…