When Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg’s newly consecrated cemetery in 1863, only four score and seven years had passed since America had revolted, and even less time since a second war with England was fought to be sure we meant it. In other words, we were in our adolescence as a country, and already the experiment in self-governance was facing its greatest test. Now, 12 and a half score years have passed since declaring our independence, fighting to make it real, and working ever since to live up to the ideals of that pivotal moment in world history. It seems appropriate to take stock of where we are and to learn from those who shaped these past 250 years of American history.
A mere generation after the Civil War ended and the railroad had connected the two oceans, the US Census Bureau declared the American frontier to be closed. In their opinion, the wilderness was no more, as civilization had effectively consumed the continent. This demographic footnote held monumental consequences for our people, our culture, and our identity, as it could be argued that our distinct American character was shaped by a pioneer spirit; a frontier ethos. Freedom, self-reliance, mistrust of authority, egalitarianism—all were qualities that separated Americans from the old European powers that the colonists successfully rebelled against. Before being elected president, Theodore Roosevelt noted these traits of the outdoor lifestyle as a “rugged and stalwart democracy” in his book The Wilderness Hunter, but clearly they shaped his personal and political views while in office.
Teddy Roosevelt’s passion for nature and exploration was so deep that his name has become synonymous with the conservation movement. It has been said that he gave birth to the first era of conservation, scaling and formalizing the protection and conservation of public lands through national parks, national monuments, and national wildlife refuges we enjoy today. A second era came in the 1970s with the regulatory, or Silent Spring, era that was defined by sweeping federal and state action exemplified by legislation like the Clean Air, Clean Water, Endangered Species, and Pollution Control Acts, to name a few. Douglas Brinkley’s book Silent Spring Revolution inspired and challenged some of my thinking on this concept.
I would argue that today we are in a third era of conservation, defined by the private lands—the working lands—of America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and others who derive both pleasure and economic value from the land, hunt and fish upon it, and deploy management practices. In doing so, they sustain on those properties habitat for wildlife, fisheries, and birds that is often of higher quality than habitats on budget-constrained public lands. Those private lands also serve as connectors between public lands for the migration of wildlife and the essential stopovers for migratory birds. This private lands stewardship is in the mold of Aldo Leopold’s vision for a “land ethic,” described in his A Sand County Almanac.
If we are in a working-lands conservation era, who is better positioned to lead it than DU? We value solutions, we enjoy the trust of landowners, we deliver the habitat, and we’ve done it well for 89 years. We are the preferred conservation delivery agent for landowners, governments, and corporations, thanks to the passion of our 750,000 members and volunteers. That model for success has just delivered a third straight year of over 1 million acres of conservation. The DU machine has conserved 20 million acres over our history, and we just ended a historic Conservation for a Continent campaign that raised over $4 billion!
DU volunteers and staff get things done with creativity and confidence. Our people are the “rugged stalwarts” of the republic: we are veterans and first responders, yeomen farmers, builders, creators, and innovators. We vote, volunteer, support our communities, help our neighbors, love our families, keep the faith, and instill these values in our children. In the outdoors we put back far more than we take, and we help others do the same. The frontier may be closed, but the pioneer spirit that built and sustained America for 250 years is alive and well in DU. The character, values, and qualities that existed in 1776 still beat in the hearts of our supporters. I am convinced that our people are the citizens our Founding Fathers hoped we would be when they sacrificed so much for us. Happy Birthday, America!
