TY - JOUR T1 - A modest proposal JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 21A LP - 23A DO - 10.2489/jswc.67.1.21A VL - 67 IS - 1 AU - Pete Nowak Y1 - 2012/01/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/67/1/21A.abstract N2 - We live in interesting times. Working in that interface between conservation and agriculture seems to vacillate between H.G. Well's The Time Machine, why are we still acting like it is the 1950s? and William Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, exactly who is the conservationist? These times are interesting because we are still struggling with the legacies of the past, trying to deal with the dynamics of our rapidly changing world, and, albeit reluctantly, preparing for what appears to be a tumultuous future. Besides interesting, these are also opportune times. It is within this swirling pool of uncertainty that a few bold decisions could set a positive course for conservation for years to come, much as H.H. Bennett did in his speech to the Congress in 1935. Unfortunately, that bold decision requires a vision derived from innovative, creative ideas learned as part of our conservation journey (Nowak 2011). Lessons from the past are important, but attempting to recreate the past in the present is not the best way to approach the future. It is in this spirit that I would like to offer a modest proposal. Some may view this proposal as radical to legacies of the past and to current setting,… ER -