I joined ‘The Wilderness Society” today. So, who are they, what are they about, and why should you give them your support? It’s simple, really. It’s all about conservationists with energy and attitude, to quote: “We’re spirited people protecting America’s Wilderness since 1935 through the potent combination of science, advocacy and education”. Science, oh yes! As any thinking person will agree, life isn’t very black and white, and that means we need to think all that much harder about how we live our lives and how we treat our planet. The grey areas are everywhere, places where the applications of science have led to environmental problems, but also where scientific applications have been the solutions to those same problems. As a scientist, I love many of the places that science has taken us, but, I also understand that the best way to responsibly roll out our innovations is with a scientifically well-educated public, one that understands how the scientific method works, is well-read on scientific current events, and one that cares how we humans are affecting the environment.

Here are some details, directly from the website of ‘The Wilderness Society’, regarding how they achieve their important goals:”

What We Do
We bring to bear our scientific expertise, analysis and bold advocacy at the highest levels to save, protect and restore America’s wilderness areas.

Our Programs Include

* Protecting the last great American wilderness area, the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, from oil and gas drilling;
* Staving off logging and road building on 58 million acres of roadless lands;
* Curbing the abuse of our lands by off-road vehicle users;
* Protecting wild places within the lower 48 states from rampant oil development.

How We Succeed

* Some 75% of the funds we receive are used directly for conservation.
* We have a vision for America’s wild land legacy - to gain lasting protection for another 100 million acres of wild places on America’s national lands, including her remaining roadless forests, the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and some 20 million acres within Utah, Idaho and Montana.
* We identify, inventory and protect America’s most fragile wild places.
* We helped pass the Wilderness Act of 1964. Our former president, Howard Zahniser, wrote the Act.
* We devote our expertise and leadership to coalition efforts, creating a broad base of support for conservation campaigns and reaching out to diverse communities.”

• The Wilderness Society