What Environmentalism Is and Is Not

When you want to get a good conversation going at a gathering or party, just mention the words: environmentalist, environmentalism, ecology or sometimes even conservation. This will definitely get the conservation started, though you may or may not like the direction it takes. You are liable to get scoffs, anger, delight, seriousness or many other reactions that you did not suspect this subject could evoke. Why this wide range of responses to this particular subject? I believe the problem is that people do not really what the real meaning of environmentalism is. Environmentalism has been taken out of the world of scientific and rational thinking and put in a world of pseudo-science and fantasy. This has been done by the major media and the groups that are allowed to hype their own ideas on that media. For this reason many people do not really know what environmentalism is all about. They hear these groups on TV or read their stuff in magazines and newspapers and feel that it must be fact because they feel these groups know what is going on and that the media would not air or publish it if it were not fact. There are always some partial truths in these reports, but as has been said many times "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

I am not a scientist nor a professional in any of the environmental or ecology fields. I could probably be considered a naturalist, but a self-taught one at that. I am an average citizen who was born and raised on a farm, who hunts, fishes and camps and who would like to leave the same opportunities for my grandchildren and their grandchildren. I believe that some common sense needs to be infused into the matter of what is good and what is bad for the environment. This common sense needs to be weighed against what is good and what is bad for mankind itself. A balance needs to be struck here, but never can be if we continue to argue the differences with feelings rather than discussing facts.

Let us look at a few things that I do not think true environmentalism is. First we have the bug loving, tree hugging kooks that lay down in front of a bulldozer because they are trying to save a minuscule organism that no one ever heard of until it was discovered in the path of a construction project. Some of these people are out for publicity while others have been misled by some organization that is only out for dues money. These people may truly believe that they are right. Next we have the antis. Anti-hunting, anti-trapping, anti-fishing, anti business, anti-progress, anti-logging, anti-meat and anti just about anything that they feel may have a detrimental effect of some part of the environment. I do not believe the antis are environmentalists. I do not feel that you can claim to be and environmentalist unless you have and alternative for what you are against: most antis do not

The anti-hunter will protest a deer hunt on government land on the grounds that hunting is cruel. they ignore the fact that on over abundance of deer will soon de-nude the foliage of that forest as high as they can reach. The seem to have no concept that the deer will then starve to death, a much crueler death than hunting. The anti-trapper is much the same, calling trapping old fashioned, cruel, inhumane and unneeded. However, they have no alternative to mange, rabies or starvation of these animals when they become overpopulated. They also have no solution for the damage caused by some of these animals. The anti-logger says we should not be cutting down the forests. When you ask where building material is to come from, they might suggest you use plastic or some other man made material. As most of there materials use oil in their production you now run up against the anti-oil drilling people. I could go through the rest of the list of antis, but I think you get the idea. Antis are generally people who are strongly against something that other people need or enjoy, but have no alternative plan. Many time what the antis are against are things that should be done away with, but with no alternative plan really cannot. Occasionally antis do offer plans, but many times these plans are unworkable. Either that or so expensive that they are not practical.