Marking the end of conservation?

SignOnSanDiego.com ^ | November 8, 2005 | Richard Louv

[GreenFreeper]

Shepherdstown, W.Va.

The American conservationist may be an endangered species, both in numbers and public influence.

That's the bleak news suggested by some attendees at the National Conservation Learning Summit, held this weekend at the sprawling woodland campus of the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia.

Some estimates indicate that as many as 60 percent of the most senior federal employees are eligible to retire in 2007. Many of those are in conservation and natural resource fields. Over one-half of the senior executives at the Department of the Interior, USDA Forest Service and Environmental Protection Agency will retire by 2007.

Within that same period, the Department of Interior will lose 61 percent of its program managers, the Forest Service will lose 81 percent of its entomologists and 49 percent of its foresters, and the EPA will lose 45 percent of its toxicologists and around 30 percent of its environmental specialists.

"A brain drain is imminent," according to Cheryl Charles, an organizer of the summit, convened by the Brandwein Foundation and attended by representatives of more than 100 federal conservation services and universities.

There's no guarantee that boomers will go gently into that good retirement; they're a stubborn, age-defying lot. Still, these are pension-rich government service jobs we're talking about. Will young people move into these jobs? Maybe not. In past decades, the idealistic, outdoor-oriented young were drawn to government careers in conservation. But that interest peaked in the 1970s. As baby boomers move toward retirement, the stock of new conservationists may be drying up.

From 1980 to 2003, undergraduate enrollment in natural resource programs has fallen, according to research conducted at Utah State University. Interpreting hard statistics prior to 1980 are problematic, says Terry Sharik, a professor at Utah State's College of Natural Resources. But he estimates that if the '70s are factored in, enrollment may have fallen by half.

"We've got to find out why this is happening," he says. "If we don't answer that question, our academic departments and conservationists may soon be seen as irrelevant, if they aren't already seen that way."

Sharik and Charles point to decreased physical involvement of children in nature – and the difficulty conservationists have communicating what they do.

Environmental organizations are also concerned about generational attrition. So is business. The Outdoor Industry Association, which represents hundreds of companies selling everything from backpacks to kayaks, reports healthy sales of upscale products. But sales of traditional entry-level gear are nearly dead in the water. Discouraged by the trend, some companies have decided to drop their entry-level product lines. Thus, worry about the trend may be self-fulfilling.

Government conservation agencies face a similar pattern. Most agencies don't seem to have much of a recruitment problem – yet. That gap will likely occur when the boomers retire. A more immediate concern for the agencies is ethnic diversity, recruiting new workers who represent the changing populations they serve.

This summit, and others, could help – if action follows.

Here's one approach. The challenges of scarcity and diversity could both be met, or moderated, if every conservation agency offered entry-level conservation corps positions to the young, and actively recruited from ethic communities. That approach would demand the kind of investment unlikely in the current political climate.

The hardest nut to crack is public perception. Conjure up a mental image of a conservationist, and you might envision Teddy Roosevelt, or a lanky guy in green khaki talking soil science with a Dust Bowl farmer, a Forest Service firefighter, or a bureaucrat at a desk piled with regulatory paperwork.

None of these images is particularly attractive to most young people today.

"Students in my school don't even know what a conservationist is," said Jeremy Byler, a Washington, D.C., high school student attending the conference. The students at his school aren't the only ones with a hazy image of conservationists.

Since 1970, the word conservationist has been overshadowed by the word environmentalist. Along the way, both words have picked up political and cultural baggage. For example, many hunters and fishers tend to call themselves conservationists; while most preservationists and activists refer to themselves as environmentalists. Such stereotypes are unfair, but they do reflect the growing confusion about the players and the score cards.

Bradley Smith, president of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors and a dean at Western Washington University, takes issue with the bleakness increasingly attached to environmental issues by students and parents. "During the next 40 years we're going to have to do everything differently," he says. From green architecture to organic farming to new alternative energy industries, he foresees an array of exciting careers emerging.

Indeed, the young – or the best of them – have always been drawn to the possibility of creating a new and better world. Offer more ways to build it, and they will come.

Louv's column appears on Tuesdays. He can be reached via e-mail at rlouv@cts.com or via www.thefuturesedge.com.

[Wiseghy]

My recollection was that there were plenty of kids in college who wanted these Gov. jobs. They offered science, the outdoors and conservation all with good benefits in low-cost rural areas that were incredibly beautiful.

[TChris]

I can't think of many things that would be of more benefit to the progress of this country than for conservationists/environmentalists/NIMBY/GlobalWarmingTrueBelievers et al to become extinct.

Note to those in the above list: It's your own moonbat wolf-crying that did you in. You have no credibility remaining.

[GreenFreeper]

The challenges of scarcity and diversity could both be met, or moderated, if every conservation agency offered entry-level conservation corps positions to the young, and actively recruited from ethic communities.

Oh geez, give me a break with the affirmitive action stuff. Why should we waste tax payer dollars to recruit minorities who may not want to do the job?

the word conservationist has been overshadowed by the word environmentalist. Along the way, both words have picked up political and cultural baggage. For example, many hunters and fishers tend to call themselves conservationists; while most preservationists and activists refer to themselves as environmentalists. Such stereotypes are unfair, but they do reflect the growing confusion about the players and the score cards.

How exactly is this unfair?

ECO-PING

FReepmail me to be added or removed to the ECO-PING list!

[subterfuge]

"Since 1970, the word conservationist has been overshadowed by the word environmentalist. "

Kids used to be taught conservation and to care for the environment. Now they are taught that simply observing nature is to destroy it, and that no steps to halt the observation is too radical, especially is someone makes a living off (gasp!!) of it.

[GreenFreeper]

My recollection was that there were plenty of kids in college who wanted these Gov. jobs.

I do not think there is a shortage whatsoever. The problem lies in that there aren't many entry level jobs. You essentially have to volunteer for a few years before you can get that minimum wage job unless you are very lucky, very good, or very ethnic. Something like 85% of natural resource educated people switch fields after 5 years (i'll try to find the actual numbers). You have to be very dedicated to survive.

[Our man in washington]

If an agency can't recruit college grads to walk around in forests, they aren't trying very hard.

[sauropod]

"A brain drain is imminent," according to Cheryl Charles

A brain drain is what led to the current envirofascist movement.

[Wiseghy]

Yes. Exactly right. The affirmative action baloney on these jobs has done a real disservice to those who want to study and protect the environment, even in relatively low paying jobs.

Some of my friends spent years literally chasing spotted owls through the forest for $10 a hour, before getting a lousy 26k a year job. Hopefully the feds will re-look at hiring practices if they face too many retiring managers.

[GreenFreeper]

If an agency can't recruit college grads to walk around in forests, they aren't trying very hard.

I agree but you'd be surprised how scared urban kids and teens can be of forests. It's amazing how disconnected a lot of todays youth are from nature.

[Old Professer]

Everybody wants to create a new and better world at some point in their lives, the harsh reality is that the world is without feeling.

[Old Professer]

[ClaireSolt]

Here is an example of how this works out. "level conservation corps positions to the young, and actively recruited from ethic communities." When we realized that immigrants from SE Asia were tending huge butterflies, we calld the ag department. They sent a young black woman with a windsock (it looked a little like a butterfly net) and she asked me to catch the butterflies, because she did not have a clue.

[GreenFreeper]

Some of my friends spent years literally chasing spotted owls through the forest for $10 a hour

I was pretty lucky and got a $10/hour job out of college. Jobs chasing critters like spotted owls are highly coveted. The sad thing is I know plenty of people who have spent 10-15 years in the field and have yet to land a full-time, permanent job.

[q_an_a]

this is interesting, but I think something is missing and that is the Americorp program. I have a niece who is now married, she and her husband do programs like bridge building and "conservation projects" that they learned as part of Americorp. Since the program has grown under President Bush, why don't those young people end up doing the work that is covered in this story?

[Renfield]

Bump for later extended comment.

[pwatson]

Back in my Liberal days I was a local outings leader with the Dallas Serria Club and went backpacking or canoing every weekend. Then the Clinton type Socialist took over and ran out all the old timer hunter fisherman who like me had been raised to love and protect the land for long term use. We were Conservationist. The Socialist were all Communist who hated mankind and the solution was to ban Humans from all Government owned land and preserver it for the future. These Eco nuts all were school teachers and government workers who had no idea about economics and were to the person city slickers. Finally that got me looking into politics and I became a Conservative overcoming my Liberal brainwashing by my 1970's Teachers .

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Does this mean the Sierra Club Lawyers' Union is going out of business?

[GreenFreeper]

this is interesting, but I think something is missing and that is the Americorp program.

The Americacorp Program is as strong as ever. We have anywhere from 20-50 Americorps/Student Conservation Association and 30-50 YCC (Youth Conservation Corps) "volunteers" every year. Like I said before, there is plenty of interest coming from young people but they quickly get discourage when its near impossible to find steady work.

[GreenFreeper]

Sounds similar to my story... I served for 2 years on the Sierra Club executive committee. Didn't take me long to realize they were not the group for me.