What’s happening now is big. Bigger than most of us have ever experienced. It will cause dramatic change. The question is: how do we respond, and how do we advance conservation that benefits all?
(Illustration: UK News-Observer/Chris Ridell)
This is the time for thinking ahead, despite needing to spend so much energy working on the challenges of this moment.
We know we are in some kind of an inflection point. Chesapeake conservationists are writing about the connections between the pandemic and the importance of our work. Their calls for recommitting to parks, local farming, land conservation and more are passionate. Here are just a few of these voices: Phil Wenger, President of Lancaster Conservancy; Rob Etgen, President of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy; and Matt Strickler, Virginia Secretary of Natural of Natural Resources.
The potential changes ahead may be profound. It’s time to carve out some space for thinking how we achieve conservation and quality of life goals in a new dynamic. As we continue to mull this over, it’s helpful when big thinkers help clarify the larger context.
Lightning Update usually attempts to distill a subject, rather than just advising readers to go read something else. Well, not this time. The folks at Future Crunch consistently put out thoughtful and provocative pieces. Their latest, Portal Economics, Part 1, paints the magnitude of the really big picture of this moment. It’s not short, but for all who are thinking about the future, it is well worth the read.
Lightning Update is a regular communication of the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions of the Partnership or member organizations.
To share a success story, news, or important event, send your information to:
Support for the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership is provided by:
National Park Service Chesapeake
EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
USDA Forest Service
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Virginia Outdoors Foundation
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Chesapeake Conservancy
The Chesapeake Conservation Partnership is co-convened by:
