Conservation Legislation

To whom it may concern,

Today the US Congress passed a sweeping bill that expanded conservation efforts across the nation. While it went relatively unnoticed, it is being heralded as one of the largest conservation efforts in recent history. Over 2 million acres of land has now been set aside as permanently protected open space, and an additional 26 million acres currently administered by the Bureau of Land Management would also be set aside. While some detractors warned that this move would deny future access to oil and gas deposits, proponents declare that it will protect the dwindling open space that provides connectivity between significant ecological zones. The often academic debate between conservation and preservation continues in America. While this is heralded as a conservation bill, leaving the land as nature intended is more accureatly referred to as preservation, whereas conservation seeks to find a balance between nature and human needs. What is most unfortunate about this bill is that it is a carry-over package of legislation from the Bush administration, and environmentalists feel compelled to act quickly before another Presidency puts industry above the environment. This fear has and will continue to lead to vast, unfocused preservation efforts without targeting the most critical and threatened areas first. How will this administration ensure that future preservation and conservation initiatives will focus on critically endangered habitat and restoration projects?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP