Our Preservation Predicament

An article in this morning’s New York Times poses a question that hits close to home at Leave No Trace. Cornelia Dean’s piece, “The Preservation Predicament” asks whether conservations efforts are irrelevant with the rapidity of climate change. The article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/science/earth/29habi.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Conservationists are struggle to refocus, some believing a shift should be made from protecting costal areas which will undoubtedly experience great change, to upland areas. Refuges with stable vegetation for preservation potential are also being identified. The scientific community is scrambling to redraft conservation strategies for the future.

Some could argue that Leave No Trace theory and practice is dwarfed in the shadow of this catastrophic change. At its core though, Leave No Trace is a program connecting people, meaningfully and purposefully, to tangible concepts in land protection. It could be that this self-identified “Leave No Trace” community is primed to support whatever our future landscape looks like. Thus, before we throw up our hands and run for the barren, cracked hills, all involved in teaching Leave No Trace ethics — particularly to children — should thoughtfully consider our relevant roles in the conservation movement.