This HISTORY is an ongoing personal project that has evolved from a number of volunteer presentations. It is a draft and not for attribution. All comments and corrections welcome.
INTRODUCTION
Attempting to present 400+ years of conservation history in a relatively brief and compelling form is a humbling undertaking. The conservation history of the United States is a rich and singular tale that has led to the development of today’s system of fish and wildlife conservation—considered by many to be the best in the world.
Numerous individuals and sources have provided material and input for this module. Their contributions are acknowledged in the text, endnotes and in Chapter 7, References and Resources.
Why Care about the History of Conservation?
Alice: Which way should I go?
Cat: That depends on where you are going.
Alice: I don’t know.
Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
An appreciation of history is necessary to understand how the present came to be and how society has ebbed and flowed over time. As you will see in the coming chapters, the wildlife conservation movement in the United States did not emerge fully formed into society, but rather it evolved, through a series of fits and starts, to become something that is truly unique in the world.
The past leads to the present and on to the future. Thus, an understanding of history is a prerequisite for simple awareness, critical thinking, and informed citizenship. [1]
What is Fish and Wildlife Conservation?
If we gather a group of our hunting and fishing companions and asked each to provide a definition of “fish and wildlife conservation” we’d likely end up with as many definitions as the number of respondents. But at its core, conservation can be defined as:
The wise management and use of natural resources by the present generation to ensure their continued use by, and benefit for, future generations.
This definition assumes an action (wise use and management of natural resources), a beneficiary (future generations), and a constraint (restrictions on use by the present generation). Gifford Pinchot, considered the father of American Forestry, defined conservation as “the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men,” and emphasized that, “unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day.” [2]
In history and law, the terms “fish,” “wildlife,” and “game” are at times specific to a prescribed set of organisms, and at other times broadly inclusive. For our purposes:
WILDLIFE. All nonhuman and non-domesticated animals, including fish, reptiles, insects, etc.
GAME. A distinct subset of wildlife describing animals that are pursued for sport or subsistence for which limits are established.
FISH are a specific subset of vertebrate wildlife that have gills and fins and live wholly in water. If describing one species of fish, 'fish' will do; if talking more than one species of fish, go with “fishes.”
MORE:
Hunted and fished species are commonly subdivided into such categories as “Big Game,” “Small Game,” “Sportfish,” “Furbearers,” “Predators,” etc., especially for purposes of licensing and permitting.
Fish are technically wildlife but commonly treated separately. Webster’s International Dictionary definition of “wildlife” did not include fish until 1961.
“Nongame” typically includes all wildlife, from insects to Gray Owls, which are not hunted or fished.
This history is presented in seven chapters...
Wildlife for Kings and Colonial America
A Growing Voice and Defining a Public Trust
Comprehensive Laws and Management Emerge
Indigenous Nations and Public Lands
Conservation Comes of Age
Private Lands and Wildlife
Conservation Profiles, References, and Resources
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ENDNOTES
[1] Peter Stearns, Why Study History. American Historical Association (1998) https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/historical-archives/why-study-history-(1998).
[2] Gifford Pinchot: A Legacy of Conservation (www.doi.gov/blog/gifford-pinchot-legacy-conservation) & Gifford Pinchot, The Fight for Conservation, 1910: 2.