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TWO THE CONSERVATION IDEA TAKES WING There have always been those who grieve at the loss of the earth's original endowment, whether from natural calamity or from our own doing. Most primitive tribes had taboos against the killing of certain species and the despoliation of sacred places. More recently, emperors, kings, and noblemen sought to stay the denudation of their countries and the decimation of wild creatures by the creation of royal preserves. That may have been based upon the enthusiasm of nobles and princes for the chase, but there were no doubt many commoners as well as aristocrats who were sympathetic and took pride in such parks. But it would be in America that the comprehension of that sometimes delicate relationship that we call ecology would reach its apex. Unfortunately, ecology has become a buzzword in the lexicon of over-enthusiastic activists. It has been so overused as to render its true meaning obscure. It is simply the study of all living things in relation to each other and to the physical environment in which they exist. Another related term now much in vogue and also corrupted is conservation. It has been appropriated by various agencies and organizations who use it for their own ends in spite of their lack of intent to conserve anything. Those of us who have been so intensively involved in problems ofconservation would like to believe that we abide by its true meaning, which by rights should be the salvaging from unreasonable development the best of our remaining forests, prairies, rivers, lakes, seashores, wetlands, mountains, valleys, and wildlife of all varieties. The nineteenth century, which has been called by some the century of slaughter , also saw the coming of a national conscience in the United States in regard to the subject of conservation. That was, no doubt, inspired by a series of shocks experienced by our citizenry upon the realization ofwhat we had done, or were doing, to our marvelous new world. 25 TWO THE CONSERVATION IDEA TAKES WING There have always been those who grieve at the loss of the earth's original endowment, whether from natural calamity or from our own doing. Most primitive tribes had taboos against the killing of certain species and the despoliation of sacred places. More recently, emperors, kings, and noblemen sought to stay the denudation of their countries and the decimation of wild creatures by the creation of royal preserves. That may have been based upon the enthusiasm of nobles and princes for the chase, but there were no doubt many commoners as well as aristocrats who were sympathetic and took pride in such parks. But it would be in America that the comprehension of that sometimes delicate relationship that we call ecology would reach its apex. Unfortunately, ecology has become a buzzword in the lexicon of over-enthusiastic activists. It has been so overused as to render its true meaning obscure. It is simply the study of all living things in relation to each other and to the physical environment in which they exist. Another related term now much in vogue and also corrupted is conservation. It has been appropriated by various agencies and organizations who use it for their own ends in spite of their lack of intent to conserve anything. Those of us who have been so intensively involved in problems of conservation would like to believe that we abide by its true meaning, which by rights should be the salvaging from unreasonable development the best of our remaining forests, prairies, rivers, lakes, seashores, wetlands, mountains, valleys, and wildlife of all varieties. The nineteenth century, which has been called by some the century of slaughter , also saw the coming of a national conscience in the United States in regard to the subject of conservation. That was, no doubt, inspired by a series of shocks experienced by our citizenry upon the realization ofwhat we had done, or were doing, to our marvelous new world. 25 One of the first voices heard was that of Henry David Thoreau from that already largely despoiled east coast in those years before the Civil War. Although he generated no organized group of followers, his observations have become increasingly pertinent with the passage oftime. A tireless investigator in the field of botanical and natural science early in the eighteenth century was John Bartram, whose travels up and down the eastern seaboard left us priceless information about the plant communities as they were in those days. Somewhat later came John...

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