WILD

A Letter to My Friends in Wilderness

This article by the late George Duffy (retired U.S. Forest Service wilderness ranger) appears in the newest issue of the International Journal of Wilderness, August 2010. Editor’s Note: This “Farewell” essay was written by George Duffy to fellow wilderness stewards after he learned he had a rare and fatal cancer. This letter reflects how George lived his life: full of verve and passion for wilderness, and always striving to improve wilderness stewardship. George was the steward for several wildernesses in California, pioneering new education programs that reached the hearts and minds of thousands of young people, helping them understand and appreciate ... Read More

What does TV teach us about wildlife?

An interesting article in the Huffington Post yesterday brought up an interesting conversation - one which I have personally contemplated for a while.  Many times, TV shows, documentaries or movies about nature provide an educational experience for viewers.  Take for example the awesome Planet Earth series, one of my favorites.  But, sometimes media outlets can go to drastic extremes to entice viewers or create drama.  Sensationalized violence (or should I say, natural selection) can mislead viewers and does very little to promote the conservation of wild animals and wild places. Read More

5 Conservation Tips Every Backpacker Should Know

Most backpackers have a deep respect and appreciation for nature. Not all backpackers understand that it is important to demonstrate this respect by backpacking in a manner that ensures the land used is not harmed or damaged in anyway. If all backpackers follow some basic conservation practices, we can preserve these beautiful lands for future generations. 1. Leave No Trace This is the golden rule of responsible backpacking. There should be no sign that you and your group passed through. You should tread as lightly as possible on your hikes. Do not cut down trees to use as firewood. In fact, many ... Read More

Many species, One planet, One future

World Environment Day, 2010, has the theme "Many species, one planet, one future" and the events and celebrations around the world echo this important, and timely, theme.  Interestingly enough, World Environment Day (5 June) an initiative of the United National Environmental Program (UNEP) coincides with the US National Trails Day, an initiative of the American Hiking Society.  The days have a few things in common.... Read More

Environmental Leadership Scholarships for Young Leader in UK

News from our sister organization The Wilderness Foundation UK -- In conjunction with Tellus Mater, a grant giving trust, The Wilderness Foundation UK will be offering environmental leadership scholarships to young people from organisations across the UK for a third consecutive year. This year they will be working with a selection of 18-30 year old young professionals from the corporate and charity sectors who are already committed to positive change for the environment and low carbon solutions. Read More

On Sanctuary

Sanctuary is important. In our yearning to connect with nature, understand and be kind to animals, save the natural world, and retain our sanity, one of the enduring divides is that between the animal welfare and conservation movements. It is a damaging dialectic, and one not necessary…but humans too often seem to be drawn to polarity, and to defining what is different and opposed, rather than what may be different but complimentary and/or mutually important and enhancing. Read More

Environemental News Bits

A handful of interesting stories came across my desk today, so thought I'd post some "news bits" for the WILD readers! First off though, a few updates from WILD: We had a great staff retreat on Monday, lead by Dr. Ian McCallum. The program, called "Wild Leaders," lead us through the creation of earth, evolution of species, composition and workings of the human-brain, and personal leadership and communication styles (in a Myers-Briggs type study). The training related to his most recent book, Ecological Intelligence, for which he was awarded the Wild Writers Award during WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress. At ... Read More

Thinking About Wilderness

The following is a guest post by Michael Tobias, Executive Director of the Dancing Star Foundation. There was a time when people gave no thought to wilderness; when our connection to the natural world was a guaranteed issue of food, shelter and avoidance of pain. Given the 120,000 odd years of our position in the global coordination of species and the toll of our behavior, we have come a long ways, to be sure, from that innocent past, as we approach the staggering 7 billion number of individuals. Typically, such numeric prodigiousness would be construed as a biological success, but we ... Read More

Solastalgia – Homesick for the wilderness

Over the weekend, the NY Times Magazine published a very poignant article by Daniel B. Smith titled "Is there an Ecological Unconscious?"  The article was circulated to all of those associated with WILD, not just because of its timely message but because of its resonance with the vision of WILD and the work of our founder, Dr. Ian Player.  The article delves into the human psyche's need for wild-nature and our dependence on wild-ecosystems beyond the quantitative needs of clean air, fresh water and fertile soils.   In order to protect wilderness, we must first understand our multi-faceted connection to it.  ... Read More

Can We Stop Trying to Control Nature?

[caption id="attachment_9116" align="aligncenter" width="353" caption="Author James M. Glover"][/caption] This post is an excerpt from an article from the International Journal of Wilderness (April 2000, vol.6 no.1 ) by James M. Glover.  I think you will enjoy his insight into what it means to control nature, and if indeed we can protect land without controlling nature. Scientists in particular are uncomfortable with the wilderness idea because it seems so subjective, soft, and nonquantifiable. —Reed Noss Read More