Deep roots. We think of #conservation as a relatively young scientific enterprise - it didn’t have an organized professional society until the mid 1980s. But George Perkins Marsh wrote about the #anthroposcene in his 1864 book #man and #nature When he described humans as a “new geographical force.” Ray Dasmann, over 50 years ago, was talking about #socioecologicalsystems ”environmental conservation based on ecological knowledge and social understanding is required.” Know your #history !
@ColbyDigsSoil great example of the #utilitarian side of the progressive era in #conservation! This depresses me somewhat - that we’ve known our #economy and even our survival depends on the state of the environment, but we’re still subsidizing #oil and #mining companies like they’re a public good. We’re still waffling over #climatechange.
@girls_can Another key early work is Our Vanishing Wild Life: Its Extermination and Preservation, 1913 by William Temple Hornaday. Quite incredible foresight. I own a prized 1st Edition!
@birdwriter1 oooh I haven’t seen that one. Thanks for sharing!
@girls_can The Soil and Water Conservation Society formed in 1946. Planning for it began in 1941.