The article “‘No way, not possible’: California has a plan for new water rules. Will it save salmon from extinction?” clearly connects with the core debates discussed in Unit 3 because it illustrates the enduring tension between conservation ideas focused on immediate human needs (utilitarianism) and those emphasizing the intrinsic value of ecosystems (preservationism). Specifically, the California government’s proposed “Healthy Rivers and Landscapes” plan tries to achieve a balance by promising improved conditions for salmon—through habitat restoration and regulated water flows—while simultaneously securing enough water for millions of people, farms, and hydropower production. From my perspective, this aligns directly with…

Nature Canada, “Reaction: Canada Signs Two New Agreements to Support Provinces and Indigenous Leadership in Conservation,” March 13, 2025, https://naturecanada.ca/news/statements/reaction-canada-signs-two-new-agreements-to-support-provinces-and-indigenous-leadership-in-conservation/?utm. This article connects closely to Unit 3’s themes of conservation and the parks movement by showing a shift toward biodiversity protection and climate adaptation through significant federal and provincial funding. The focus on Indigenous leadership and new protected areas like the Seal River Watershed directly addressing the historical exclusion of Indigenous peoples from parks, as brought up by Binnema and Niemi. These agreements confront traditional ideas of ‘uninhabited wilderness’ and support Cronon’s view of wilderness as a cultural construct. By…

Conservation #2 I found it astonishing to listen to Jack Little describe the desire by “lumber lords” for conservation of forests in the 1880s in Canada and the United States. Here we sit five years after the BC government’s Strategic Review Panel on Old Growth Forests released its report A New Future for Old Forests, still waiting, watching, and wondering how and when the remaining in-tact old forests of BC will be protected from destruction. Little tells how those in the industry nearly 150 years ago saw the evidence of a non-sustainable industry then. Sure, things have changed, but old…

Conservation I’ve chosen a media article which pertains directly to conservation; however, it is related to a class reading that is partially about conservation but more generally about parks. The article is from WWF Canada and is about the conservation of polar bears in northern Canada through investing in the mapping of denning habitats and population estimates by way of a new smart phone app: “SIKU”. How this ties to the course reading by Theodore Binnema and Melanie Niemi is the consideration (or lack thereof, in the case of the course reading) of Indigenous Peoples right to hunt. It was…

Conservation pledges falling short, says UN biodiversity report https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/05/conservation-pledges-falling-short-nature-biodiversity-cop15-report This article highlights a 2024 UN biodiversity report showing that most countries are not on track to meet their global pledge to protect 30% of Earth’s land and oceans by 2030. The article connects directly to our Unit 3 theme on conservation, where we learned that goals alone are not enough- historically, conservation success has required both political commitment and local involvement. What stood out to me is that despite increased attention to conservation, many governments lack the infrastructure or enforcement to follow through. This parallels past issues with conservation areas…