Description
There is no question that forces are being placed on our systems, institutions, philosophies, and the science that manages wildlife. Situations and conditions change over time, and adjustments are necessary improvements. Balancing change and maintaining stability is crucial to ensuring the best outcomes for wildlife and people. But this doesn’t appear to be where we’re heading.
Sheep Fever co-host Keith Balfourd visits with two guests who keenly understand historical precedents and the current pressures calling to rewrite wildlife management policy. Is all coming from anti-hunting efforts? What about wildlife commissions being stripped of diversified stakeholders to change the game against sustainable use? Is the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation a complete handbook, or is it vulnerable to criticism, misuse, and a tool for misdirection?
If you're pushing for change in the court of public opinion and using ballot initiatives, does acknowledging ecological and social realities, past achievements, and who was responsible for these successes undermine your narrative? Is what's being left out of the conversation by design? Are there things that we, as hunter-conservationists, can do better? Are there things we should be distancing ourselves from? As a significant minority of the population, do we have allies? If doing right by wildlife is our mantra, does digging our heels in on everything sustainable?
Change is inevitable. Sportsmen and women have had the lead in wildlife conservation. How do we maintain this lead? These are all good questions. Some, but not all, were answered in this episode. Like conservation itself, this topic is on a continuum.
Is conservation at a crossroads? If challenges to wildlife and the environment are evolving and, in many cases, mounting. If we believe that conservation is everyone's responsibility and that it is a progressive journey rather than a final destination, then we are at a crossroads.
The...
Published 11/21/24
Bill Pastorek, author of Dream Rams of British Columbia will soon release his recent and highly anticipate work, Dream Rams of the North. Bill caught the sheep bug early in his life and his chosen career path of self-employment and building a successful gardening business allowed him plenty of...
Published 11/07/24