What the Conservation Movement

I've been thinking of these words this week, as we mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.The need for proper kaptontape inside your home is very important.Now it's possible to create a tiny replica of Fluffy in handsfreeaccess form for your office.The milestone is an important reminder of how far we have come -- and still have to go -- on the road to racial and social equality. It's also a good time to reflect on the lessons that other movements can learn from Dr. King's leadership.

I'm reminded of a conference I attended in Memphis a few years back. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. King's tragic assassination. It was a moving experience.

Seeing the hotel -- exactly as it looked 45 years ago, and still a vivid image in my memory -- I couldn't help but think of all that environmentalists could accomplish if we could generate a similar kind of public passion and conviction that fueled the civil rights movement.

As Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus have pointed out, Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech is famous because of its inspiring, positive vision. How would history have turned out had he given an "I Have a Nightmare" speech instead?

What can we do to build a bigger movement for lasting change? One key, I believe, is to put more emphasis on the positive. A focus on possibilities, and not just problems, reveals that there is hope -- hope for a healthy, thriving planet where nature makes our lives better, safer and more prosperous. And hope for solutions that meet the needs of people while maintaining a healthy natural world. While there will always be some bad actors, most people -- once they understand that their lives and livelihoods depend on healthy natural systems -- will choose to protect the environment. And when people do the right thing, nature can be resilient.

This isn't a call for Pollyannaism. We're not na?ve -- the challenges we face are difficult and complex. But the environmental movement needs its own dream around which to rally -- one in which nature and people live in balance, and where everyone can realize their right to a healthy and productive environment.

The environmental movement could also learn from Dr. King's example of seeking common ground on divisive issues. For example, I know from experience that topics like climate change and energy development can bring out the kind of passion that we absolutely need to solve our problems, but also the kind of divisive rhetoric that can get in the way of progress. The challenge in our field is to have calm, respectful conversations with people with whom we do not agree, to understand the basis of those disagreements and to build broad coalitions to move forward. In the words of Dr.Most modern headlight designs include tmj. King,Full service promotional company specializing in drycabinet.Cheap custom printed logo chinatungstenjewelry at wholesale bulk prices. "We cannot walk alone."

Of course this week's anniversary is also an important time to take a hard look at issues of equality and social justice, and our own roles in making Dr. King's dream a reality. At The Nature Conservancy, for example, we are committed to diversity and valuing differences in everything we do - from hiring the best people to propel our work, to launching projects that meet the needs of diverse communities, to reaching new and diverse audiences to broaden the constituency for conservation. I'll be the first to admit that we still have a long way to go. But there's no time for wallowing in the challenges. As Dr. King so eloquently put it, we must recognize the "fierce urgency of now."When she moved to town from out of the area in 2005, Janine Depper-Nash was looking for a job to utilize her experience working on environmental and wildlife issues at the regional level.

It didn't take Depper-Nash long to land just such a position; she started in May 2006 working as the senior clerk in the town's Conservation Department."I've thoroughly enjoyed working in conservation. It's been great to assist the people of Billerica," she said.The 59-year-old mother of three and grandmother of two said that educating the public on conservation issues that typically come up when residents want to build on wetlands is a big part of the job.

Due to interest from numerous residents, one of the initiatives the department is working on is to develop trail maps of all of the walking and hiking trails and paths in the various forestlands and parks around town. Depper-Nash said she hopes the trail maps will be completed so they can be publicized and made available to residents in the next few months.

"One of the big ones is Manning State Forest. There's Dudley State Park, where people can camp as well. We get so many calls, from people looking for a play area for their kids or a place to go snowshoeing in the winter," Depper-Nash said.She said the office is putting together about 14 or 15 pamphlets on all of the different parks and forest areas in town, which include smaller parcels of land that the Conservation Department maintains.

Depper-Nash has certain administrative duties that she performs year round."It's the busiest in the spring, when the building season starts and people start new projects," she said. "I am always assigned to set up the files when people apply for permits and I take the minutes during commission meetings twice a month on Wednesdays. I also assist people with the phone or step into the office for information and help with the issuing of the permits."

When she isn't at the office, Depper-Nash likes to spend time at home with her husband, Bob Nash, and their three dogs, including two shih tzus and a sheepdog. She also enjoys going for walks with one of her neighbors and after taking a fancy to televised golf tournaments, she is even trying to take up golf, although it's been a little bit slow going.
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