Re-Thinking Wilderness Advocacy

I happen to have many heroes. Ray Ring is one of them. Has been for years. Among his many "hats," he is a writer for High Country News. But he also works for a quiet non-profit, Sonoran Institute. And he is an effective thinker about long simmering conflicts here in the west. You know, those kinds of fights where people have been at it for years and no one really remembers why? Loggers v. environmentalists. ATV users v. wilderness preservationists.

So it didn't surprise me to see Ray Ring's most recent op-ed in High Country News. We're thinking along the same lines. Many of these long entrenched battles become more about stereotypes and less about the underlying issues. I remember years ago, during the height of the "Spotted owl" battles when a forest activist said to me, glass of wine in her hand, "well you know, all loggers are alcoholics." And of course, I also remember a student of mine, a former mill owner, regaling me with stories of Birkenstock wearing greenies, as he called them. Ray Ring's op-ed (with one minor stereotype slip, can you spot it?) punctures those mental pictures and adds some serious thought to how wilderness advocates can bridge the gaps with the ATV and snowmobile crowd (traditional whipping boys and girls of The Wilderness Society).

I have always believed that education is a far far better way to achieve change than mandates, laws, and regulation. Especially when it comes to environmental and natural resource choices. One of the most effective ways to educate is to bridge the gaps between yourself and your "students." Dressing in snowmobile outfits, showing up at snowmobile rallies, and talking about ways to find common ground is not just a tongue-in-cheek idea, it's brilliant.