A long day of watching a sky devoid of waterfowl, staring into the endless blue until my eyes burn and the muscles at the base of my neck stab me every time I turn my head. A pair of buffleheads scoot in over the decoys at eleven. A harrier kites along the shore at . . . → Read More: On the nature of gifts
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I NEED TO STATE AT THE OUTSET THAT I AM A COMMITTED CONSERVATIONIST. I trained in the field and have spent my entire adult life in the effort to maintain native biodiversity in the United States, and I continue to embrace that goal as one of the most important in my life. I am also . . . → Read More: Cecil’s death shouldn’t end hunting
IT’S ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL rules of ecology: Each species has its niche, the unique combination of food, water, shelter, and nursery that, taken together, are home for the breed. Without that place, the species would not exist. As the deadline for the federal decision on whether to list the sage grouse . . . → Read More: No place like home ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015, CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON published an essay in the New York Times titled “Leaving Only Footsteps in the Woods?: Think Again.” The premise of Solomon’s piece was that every human being that enters a wild area has an effect on the wildlife living there. It’s an important observation, one that gets surprisingly . . . → Read More: We’re all users— but some more than others THE GOOD OLD DAYS. I’M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE SIXTIES (AND EVEN A PIECE OF THE FIFTIES) WITH SOME FONDNESS, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT THAT ERA I’d just as soon forget, especially in the environmental arena— massive fish kills, rivers catching fire, and not least, a federally funded campaign to . . . → Read More: Congressmen vote against marshes and creeks The lesson: A short look at the long history of hunter education Comments on the occasion of the 2014 Wyoming Hunter Education Academy July 26, 2014 © Chris Madson, 2014 2014 Hunter Education Academy I WANT TO EXPRESS MY THANKS TO JIM DAWSON FOR THE INVITATION TO BE HERE THIS . . . → Read More: Learning the hunt THE FIGHT FOR OUR WETLANDS GOES ON. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a crippling blow to the protection of America’s wetlands and the wildlife these wetlands support. The court’s decision in the case SWANCC v. Army Corp of Engineers, followed a year later by similar decisions in the Carabel and Rapanos cases, ended . . . → Read More: A drop in the bucket In recent statements and writing, Peter Kareiva, chief scientist with The Nature Conservancy, distorts history, ignores the successes of modern conservation, and undermines the moral and philosophical foundations of the movement. Do his views reflect the views of his employer? Photos and writing © Chris Madson, all rights reserved Defining conservation PETER . . . → Read More: A cracked view of conservation
A modern dust storm on the High Plains of Kansas. FOR THIRTY YEARS AFTER JIM HANSEN AND HIS COLLEAGUES AT NASA FIRST WARNED US THAT WE WERE CHANGING THE EARTH’S CLIMATE, the discussion focused on ways to reverse, or at least stabilize, the process. That dialog gained volume and urgency as the . . . → Read More: The limits of adaptation Congress continues to bleed America’s most important conservation program WELL, AFTER MORE THAN THREE YEARS OF DEBATE AND CLOAKROOM POLITICS, WE FINALLY HAVE A NEW FEDERAL FARM BILL. The scope of the programs it authorizes is almost beyond imagining. So is the cost: around $960 billion between now and 2023.[i] Most of the angst over . . . → Read More: Killing It softly |
