“Sometimes conservation feels a lot like dragging big limbs around.”

I smiled as I said this to Dave and Claudia, land stewards over a city-owned chunk of land that they have volunteered to manage. They know the realities of pruning and dragging invasive plants better than any of us, so they just smiled back. That particular volunteer work day, Dave tasked a crew of conservation-minded locals and a Scout troop from the area to join the fun by removing large buckthorn trees and bush honeysuckles that have taken over major portions of the property.

A big lesson that I learned was that conservation is not glamorous. Well, it’s not always glamorous. In the context of fancy, wildlife banquets in Aspen or ‘friends of this or that National Park” dinners, maybe. Advertisements and commercials from big organizations or eco-friendly companies can make it seem grandiose with incredible videos and expert storytelling, but the reality is that the lion’s share of effective measures to protect and manage our lands is good, old-fashioned elbow grease. Regular people putting regular hours in at local places.

The good news about this reality is that just about anyone can take part in it on some level! You don’t need a forestry, wildlife biology, or fisheries degree to get involved. Are you a ‘regular Joe’? There’s a place for you! You don’t need to make it a full-time job. Just a few hours, one Saturday a month, can make a huge impact. Lastly, you don’t need to fight wildfires west of the Mississippi if you live in the suburbs of the Midwest, there are local parks that would benefit from trash pick-ups, rivers that would benefit from planting native aquatic plants, and wildlife rehab centers that need someone to sweep the kitchen area! Some of these places may be minutes from your home!

Can you drag some branches to a pile? Can you wade a river? Can you hold a pointy stick and a trash bag? You, friend, may be qualified to do some of the most important work for the actual land you live on. Are you good with a computer, social media, marketing? You may be able to get more people to events or network with local businesses to get them involved. Do you have a bunch of money? Give me a call; I’m accepting donations for my kid’s college fund. Jokes aside, find your niche’ and do it!

Conservation work may not be glamorous, but it’s important. Like changing babies’ diapers, folding your laundry, filing your taxes, and a host of other things we do to take care of our children, our stuff, and our finances, it’s the regular, menial maintenance of good things that shows their importance. The land we live on, the water that sustains us, and the air we breath are important, so let’s treat them that way.

AC