For the life of me I can not figure out how the terms conservation and preservation became so intertwined with one another. Some dictionaries use the two words as interchangeable synonyms , and are often used in the definition of one another, but in utility conservation and preservation are vastly different.

I often receive those random comments from social media trolls who ask questions like: how can you conserve something by shooting it? That seems like you are lost in an identity crisis. Often I leave well enough alone, and just allow their question to lay upon deaf ears. As a rule of thumb, I find that anyone who wants to start a rational conversation, typically doesn’t start by insults. But for those who truly want that conversation, here is my take.

Conservation is simply the sustainable use and management of natural resources, which includes wildlife, water, air, timber and minerals. The key words are sustainable and management. Hunting is a management tool to keep wildlife populations in check. While I might not hunt for the lone purpose of management, undoubtedly hunting is conservation. I advocate for the use of funds for conservation, by keeping in contact with my congressmen, and senators, and often speak up when it comes to matters of habitat, and loss of public accessible lands. I join organizations who focus on the habitat improvement, and put their resources to use for the sustainability of wild life.

Some organizations, wrongfully label themselves as conservation groups, and stand against known management tools such as hunting, trapping, and fishing. These groups and individuals are more focused on preservation, which attempts to maintain the present condition, so they are untouched by humans. While their mission is admirable, the practicality is unachievable. Since the moment of European contact, humans have had an impact on wildlife. We have built roads through woodlands, erected houses on the prairies, cut timber in the swamps, and launched boats in the lakes and streams. Nothing on this continent has been unaffected by human impact.

The Atlantic migratory flyway, cuts right through downtown New York, and an estimated 90,000 migratory birds are impaled by flying into buildings each year. In retrospect, those who live in condos in New York have a larger impact on migratory birds, then a water fowl hunter who is confined to harvesting a limited amount, rules in which are set forth in the name of conservation.

Every time a home owner mows his grass or rakes her leaves, the effect on the ecosystem in your back yard is unfathomable. Long grasses house millions of insects, which attracts song birds and bats, whom are fed upon by fox, bobcats, and raptors. How is a fur trapper who abides by regulations going to have a larger impact on the the population of fox, than a a home owner who depletes their habitat and food sources one bag of leaves at a time?

The underlying truth is that as long as all species co exist on this planet, the idea of preservation is unattainable. As humans, our very presence has had an impact on the natural world. Our way of life, has predetermined the displacement of wild life, and wild places, and it is up to us to make sure that we help balance and maintain ecosystems, only as conservationists can.

Learn more about advocating for conservation here.