The most vital part of our future
The task of conservation is not without its difficulties, yet it remains essential and deeply rewarding.
What does the idea of conservation mean to you? When this country was founded, it was a land of plenty: forests, abundant wildlife, and a vast expanse of mostly uninhabited lands. However, as settlers arrived, the wild lands began to diminish, illustrating the challenges we face in conserving our natural heritage. The task of conservation is not without its difficulties, yet it remains essential and deeply rewarding, reminding us of the value and beauty of preserving what wilderness remains. Are you doing your part?
The Early Days of Conservation
As the world gets ever more crowded and the natural habitat of wildlife is consistently depleted, it is our responsibility to ensure the protection of wildlife species. The landscape of North America was once a wilderness with enough habitat to support vast populations of wildlife. With the discovery of this “New World,” an influx of people began to immigrate, and they were all looking for space of their own. At the beginning of this nation, there seemed no end to the expanse of land it offered. Soon, however, cities began to grow larger and take up more space, so settlers moved westward.
At this point in time, we took little notice of things like wildlife populations and certainly thought nothing of wildlife habitat. There was plenty of land, and if settlers moved into an area, the wildlife could just move somewhere else. This mindset was prevalent for many years, and wildlife populations suffered greatly. It wasn’t until it was almost too late—and for some species, it was too late—before a handful of conservation-minded individuals took notice and began to try and turn things around. One such individual was President Theodore Roosevelt, who took notice and became instrumental in the creation of many conservation initiatives, including the establishment of the National Parks System. Read his biography The Naturalist
Modern Conservation Efforts
In the world we know today, the steps that were taken years ago are paying off in many ways. We now see the Bald Eagle making a comeback, even though they were on the verge of extinction. America adopted the Bald Eagle as a national symbol in 1782 and the estimate was 100,000 nesting eagles, however in 1963 only 417 nesting pairs were known to exist, in 2021 it is estimated that that there were 316,700 individual eagles including 71,267 breeding pairs(read full article from FWS here).Congressional acts were implemented to support conservation efforts and protect the wildlife and their habitats. Leaving out my opinions on what Congress does today that is useful, if they hadn’t acted when they did those years ago, I hate to think what our wildlife populations would look like now. However, while the Bald Eagle is making a comeback, how many Monarch Butterflies do you see every year?
Today, we still have a delicate balance to maintain between preserving habitat and urban expansion. There are plenty of opinions floating around about what the “best practice” is for the future. This is not a coin with two sides, but a complex undertaking with many layers and factors to be considered. On one hand, there are those who would see agricultural development cease altogether and allow the land to revert to its original state, ban hunting altogether and let the wildlife population do what it will. This layer, of course, is one of the extremes and I just don’t know that its practical.
Urban Wildlife Conflicts
I read some articles a while back about a suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of Washington D.C. where whitetail deer had become a real problem. Some would argue that humans encroached upon the deer and their habitat, which isn’t wrong. However, the problem wasn’t just that the deer were in this neighborhood, but there were many other complications. One of the first things was the fact that hunters could not harvest the deer to keep the population in balance with the available habitat. Because of the inability to harvest surplus animals, they became overpopulated, leading to malnourishment.
Over time, this can degrade forests and the habitat they provide for other animals and plants
Humans weren’t harvesting surplus animals, and because of the proximity to humans, there were no natural predators to do the work either. Balance is the key to a sustainable habitat. Naturally, the deer preferred to be closer to the development because of the lack of predators, but this led to more incidents of automobiles hitting them. In one report, the trees had their leaves picked clean up as high as a deer could reach.
I don’t know any recent updates on the status of the area, but the local authorities had begun to allow hunters to harvest the surplus animals using archery equipment, the most practical and safest method. Using firearms in such a densely populated area would be hard. On top of allowing hunters to harvest the animals, they were donating the harvested meat to a food pantry in the same area.
Agriculture and Conservation
Agriculture also influences natural wildlife habitat. Many in the agricultural industry are also hunters, and they understand the effects their practices have on the land. Many take care to preserve portions of land for wildlife habitat, and there are government initiatives that encourage farmers to do these things, such as allowing buffer zones along streams. These buffer zones serve more than just wildlife; they are also integral to soil conservation.
At one time, farmers would cut trees away from the banks of streams to plant as close as possible. As years passed, farmers realized that tilling to the edge of the stream allowed their fields to wash downstream at an accelerated pace. It also caught the attention of some biologists when they found that many native species of aquatic life were disappearing from the streams due to high concentrations of fertilizers.
No farmer is happy to know that the fertilizer they paid for is simply washing away into the stream, along with their soil. Sometimes, you do the best you can with the information available. When added information becomes available, and you find out that old practices are having damaging consequences, you want to change. While in some cases, if certain species of wildlife become overpopulated, it may cause problems with crops. This is where harvesting surplus wildlife populations are crucial not only to farmers for crop protection but also to maintain wildlife populations in a way that their habitat can sustain them. A world without native wildlife would also have detrimental effects on crop and livestock production. Birds keep insects down; turkey and deer keep the wooded areas cleaned up. I could go on and on—don’t get me started on bees.
The Future of Conservation
To me, it should be clear by now that conservation means a great deal to me. It is a delicate balance of being a good steward of the land, harvesting from the land while also putting back into it. Working to maintain streams and woodlands to prevent the soil from washing away, and taking small steps to allow natural wildlife habitats. Harvesting surplus wildlife or allowing someone the permission to do so. Conservation isn’t a simple matter, and it can’t be treated as something that is either done or isn’t done—it must be done. Our children and grandchildren are depending on us to do this.
I urge everyone to take part in conservation efforts, no matter how small they may seem. Each small effort counts, from planting a tree to reducing waste, to supporting local conservation initiatives, or finding spots on your property to sow a pollinator garden. Together, we can all become everyday conservationists and ensure a thriving, balanced environment for future generations.
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