#howitwasdone
by William Crisp
Conservation work has changed a lot since I started in the biz. It has gotten a lot stricter with bureaucratic chains a lot longer, heavier and more entangling. There are some changes that have been good, some changes for the worse, some are just ugly and others are just changes and so things are just; different. I’m sure some of my perceptions and feelings were shared by the “old timers” who were getting ready to retire when I was getting started. In fact, I know they were because I spent a lot of time with the veterans of the trade when I came on and remember some of the things that they said that seemed hard or strange at the time but make sense to me now.
The primary sources of wildlife education and environmental science have changed since I matriculated. I see young professionals with what I consider a superficial scope and view of the work to be done. Some places I refer to as the “wildlife schools of corruption” now rather than conservation; though I acknowledge that can be a bit harsh.