Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
July 25, 2026 By: Matthew Coxon
Article 1: Daily Hive – “B.C. government signs major land use plan with First Nation on Vancouver Island”
The Daily Hive article “B.C. government signs major land use plan with First Nation on Vancouver Island” provides a real-world example of how conservation in the present day continues to involve debates over how natural landscapes should be managed. The disagreement surrounding the land-use plan feels reminiscent of the Unit 3 discussions about the difference between Gifford Pinchot’s conservation philosophy, which emphasized scientific management of resources and John Muir’s preservation ethic, which viewed nature as valuable beyond economic interests. The Gwa’ni Land Use Planning Project demonstrates that modern conservation involves balancing ecological protection, economic activity, and Indigenous cultural values rather than simply attempting to separate humans from the natural world. This article reminded me that, much like the conservation debates of the past, modern environmental decisions requiring balancing competing ideas about the use and management of nature.
B.C. government signs major land use plan with First Nation on Vancouver Island | Daily hive vancouver | urbanized. Accessed July 25, 2026. https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-island-namgis-first-nation-gwani-land-use-planning-project.
Article 2: CTV News – “Feds pitch in $249k for ecological restoration at North Vancouver’s Moodyville Park”
The CTV News article “Feds pitch in $249K for ecological restoration at North Vancouver’s Moodyville Park” demonstrates how cities are increasingly becoming places where ecological restoration is prioritized rather than simply areas where the local ecosystems are neglected. This connects directly with Unit 3, where William Cronon argues that separating nature from human environments can cause us to overlook the ecological impacts of everyday human activity. The removal of invasive species and restoration of native vegetation described in the article reflect Cronon’s argument by demonstrating that conservation does not only occur in remote wilderness areas but also within neighbourhoods, cities, and other human-dominated landscapes. This article challenged me to reconsider the idea that nature exists only as a wilderness separate from people and instead recognize that the environments around us are dynamic ecosystems that require ongoing stewardship.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, 69–90. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995.
Feds pitch in $249K for ecological restoration at North Vancouver’s Moodyville Park. Accessed July 25, 2026. https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/feds-pitch-in-249k-for-ecological-restoration-at-north-vancouvers-moodyville-park/.
Hi Matthew,
Great post!
Your analysis of the Gwa’ni Land Use Planning Project through the lens of Gifford Pinchot’s utilitarian conservation versus John Muir’s preservationist ethic was spot on. It is fascinating to see how that historic tension between economic resource use and strict preservation is still very much alive today. However, as you rightly pointed out, modern agreements add a crucial layer that Pinchot and Muir both overlooked: Indigenous sovereignty and cultural stewardship. Moving beyond a simple binary of “use vs. preserve” to incorporate Indigenous rights represents a really important evolution in how we manage landscapes.
I also appreciated your application of Cronon’s The Trouble with Wilderness to the Moodyville Park restoration project in North Vancouver. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that meaningful conservation only happens in distant, pristine national parks. As Cronon cautions, if we idealize remote wilderness as the only “real” nature, we risk ignoring the value of local, urban ecosystems. Small-scale restoration projects like the one at Moodyville Park show how urban spaces can be active sites of environmental repair and daily human stewardship.
Thanks for sharing such great insights and relevant local news items!