Project 2025 and Conservation

I'm just too tired to get as involved as I once was.
Every project or plan was sidetracked and abandoned.
A handful are SOP...and they are on the block to be bought.

I fear I am just going to reside and live my life out watching. I have my own wildlife and restoration projects.
Just think of the impact we could have if everyone had a conservation project on their land. It is possible whether your property is 1/4 acre or 1000 acres. It all adds up. Momentum gained from the little projects will steamroll into the bigger projects.
 
Just think of the impact we could have if everyone had a conservation project on their land. It is possible whether your property is 1/4 acre or 1000 acres. It all adds up. Momentum gained from the little projects will steamroll into the bigger projects.
Seems more likely for everyone to have a construction project on their land. Sorry for the negativity but that’s just what I’m seeing.
 
This strikes me as being a lot like the Green New Deal. A blueprint from the radical fringe. Will some of it get implemented? Likely, but that’s always the case. We will have to push back against it. Personally, I would rather fight portions of this than a radical agenda from the left.
 
I don't whinge too much about the Project 2025 stuff. Former President Trump himself has said he doesn't like many of the ideas in it
Serious question: Why would you believe him?

I share the pessimism of those I admire here. Many of the trends we have all watched and opposed have taken their toll on the landscape, species and even our will to resist them. If elected, Trump will do, and especially undo, all the things he went after in his 1st term, with more experience and better help to make him more effective at privatizing and industrializing public lands with less-than-zero regard for the legacy of conservation and public trust that have marked our public land policy since Muir, Pinchot, Roosevelt and others swung the pendulum away from rapacious development around 120 years ago.

I also share the glimmers of optimism posted here. Conservation groups are better organized, better funded and more entrenched in our system of lobbying congress. The great increase of public land users we all bemoan are voters, they can be reached and activated to the cause. Since the courts have abandoned conservation, voters may be able to force it to a priority for Congress. (Trump's most enduring legacy will almost certainly be the remaking of SCOTUS and appointment of judges to support that). The same internet that bastardizes and monetizes hunting is available to share the love for public lands and conservation. Proof: You are on HT reading this!

I won't give up, stop advocating or stop caring while I have breath in me. That makes me a one-issue voter, and proud to be so.

“I learned long ago that conservation has no victories, that one must retain connections and remain involved with animals and places that have captured the heart, to prevent their destruction. I am sometimes asked why, given a world that is more wounded and scarred, I do not simply give up, burdened by pessimism. But conservation is my life, I must retain hope”
George B Schaller
 
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Serious question: Why would you believe him?

I don't really believe any politician, but Trump is enough of a raging narcissist to often dislike ideas if he didn't come up with them. Additionally, I have a sample size of 4 years where he didn't pursue many of these things. "This time will be different" isn't a particularly useful claim to me - for either side of the isle.

That's not to say he won't do damage, but this isn't his platform.
 
I don't whinge too much about the Project 2025 stuff. Former President Trump himself has said he doesn't like many of the ideas in it, and at this point it's clearly being used as a motivational vehicle to get the vote out. That's not to say many of the ideas within it aren't concerning, but at base, it's a wishlist that's always existed just now formalized by a minority.

That is a really great post, @Ben Lamb . There's a part of me that if I had to coldly put money on the future and what's most likely, it's not good. But there's a part of me that would do that for dang near everything good. So what?

Juxtaposed against you or Buzz or a thousand others, I have done nothing and am a white belt, but there's no point to any of this without hope and attempts to make things better, no matter how much of it just feels like insufficient dinks and dunks in the face of widespread trends heading the wrong direction. Hard work that's mostly unsatisfying, many losses and some wins, loneliness - and when it burns one out they've earned their rest. You and I have a mutual friend, who is a mentor to me in the world of conservation. We serve on a couple boards/working groups together. More than once, I have watched groups try to navigate an issue, or watched someone antagonistic to the larger goals show up and try to sway. There's a modern attitude of "F%$k that", I think borne of the internet, that's tempting to revert to, and at times I was at a loss for how to proceed. But then, I watch him just treat someone like a human. Sit down and talk to them, polite and professional, ask questions, build a relationship. I've seen courses change. They are small-scale to be clear, but it's so damn obvious there is no persuasion without respect, and there is no change without persuasion. I'm grateful to learn the attitude and lessons from him. "Bigger circles" - it's the only way.

120 years ago there were no elk or deer in the hills in which I live - all killed for market or food. No predators on the landscape - all poisoned. No fish in the creeks - all toxic or placer mined or dredged to near-oblivion. A conservationist at that time would've been more justified to despair than those today. And yet this evening my kids and I can go catch fish in the creek and probably will. This fall my son will chase what is hopefully his first deer. I'm gonna try and trap a bobcat in December. "Near-oblivion" and oblivion are two different things, and there's always hope requiring a hell of a lot of hard work, and it is worth doing.
If you know the history of the group behind it, they have their hands in just about every ultra conservative change that has occurred in recent decades at both the state and national levels. Not talking ideas--things that actually happened, through legislation or court decisions.

They are VERY, very close to far right leaning legislators and key players.

In my state lists like I posted are handed out to legislators who then have followed them to a T in their actual actions after elected.

So there's a lot more to be concerned about. It's no idle threat. Trump and his key supporters are heavily aware of and involved.

That's not to say he'll implement it all. I do think Jr. has a bit of a role in advising him and believe he was able to turn him away from some things in his prior term. But the environment--with no chance of running again--is different. After election he has to answer to no one and doesn't have to care about the future (other than staying out of jail after he's done).

And I know the OP didn't want things to go political but that's the nature of these topics. I do believe it's not a Red versus blue thing though--it's hard for them to get a voice in todays climate, but there are still red folks out there who can and will do a good job of fighting for hunters and conservation causes if we help them get elected. Some of my all time favorite legislators who were responsible for great things in the conservation world where reds.

Depending on whether you count the various college age NR jobs I had I've got 40 or so years in too, but I have hope. At least in my state. Our voters voted to tax themselves to raise extra funds for conservation causes during a time when money was tight. They just need to understand and be informed and I have more trust things won't be as bad as they could be.

We have a number of people in our age group guys who have history and knowledge and we can continue to have an impact if we just keep pushing. In my case I am of the belief I can do more after I retire than I could while working in fact. At least it will be nice to not have both hands tied behind my back anymore....
 
I'm just worried everywhere I have antelope hunted there will be a windmill farm and everywhere I deer hunt there will be a solar farm and no deer or antelope to be found except in some utopia on a poster, maybe not 2025 but 2045. Tell me its just a bad dream.
 
Seems more likely for everyone to have a construction project on their land. Sorry for the negativity but that’s just what I’m seeing.
If your land is in city limits, that could be a good thing. We need more housing, but also need to combat urban sprawl. Seeing wildlife in town is cool and all, but I’d rather see less houses perforating natural areas.
 
I'm just worried everywhere I have antelope hunted there will be a windmill farm and everywhere I deer hunt there will be a solar farm and no deer or antelope to be found except in some utopia on a poster, maybe not 2025 but 2045. Tell me its just a bad dream.
Everywhere I’ve hunted antelope is covered in oil and gas roads - is this reality different or the same as the one you describe? Serious question
 
If your land is in city limits, that could be a good thing. We need more housing, but also need to combat urban sprawl. Seeing wildlife in town is cool and all, but I’d rather see less houses perforating natural areas.
A nice alternative is conservation design. Takes some forethought when land is being platted, and some cajones from local zoning folks at times, but that can be a decent way to mitigate. You end up with smaller lots but more of the acreage being retained in it's wild state. Done right those lots can be as or more valuable than the standard land platting square system often used and you can get the same or close to it for housing density too.

Check out Randall Arendt and the Conservation design field


 
I am firmly in the pessimistic/realistic camp on this topic of hunting and wildlife conservation/public lands.

Hunting/wildlife conservation is the titanic, and we’ve already hit the iceberg. We’re sinking!

Current wildlife conservation is just slowing down the bleeding. I appreciate and support all the conservation that is being done, but realize it’s not gaining us ground.

The problem can be summed up with one fact.
There are too many humans on this earth!

The only way the pendulum swings in global wildlife’s favor in the long term would be a catastrophic global plague that wiped out 90% of the human race. Short of that, I don’t see anything being better in the future than it is today.

Chase
 
I don't really believe any politician, but Trump is enough of a raging narcissist to often dislike ideas if he didn't come up with them. Additionally, I have a sample size of 4 years where he didn't pursue many of these things. "This time will be different" isn't a particularly useful claim to me - for either side of the isle.

That's not to say he won't do damage, but this isn't his platform.
I'll just repeat what I said at the beginning of this thread:

As Project 2025 has come into focus in the news cycle, and was drafted by many former or future advisors to a president, it is worth looking specifically at what this blueprint would seek to accomplish. Whether it ultimately becomes a politician or party's platform, there are still many, many people that espouse the ideas contained in this document, and this response gives a good overview of issues we, as people who care about public lands, waters, and wildlife, will need to watch with vigilance.

And I'll add:

The Heritage Foundation is made up of about 80% of the former president's advisors. $22 Million has been put into this project. 2 years ago, the former president stated at a Heritage Foundation conference that the Heritage Foundation was: "going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do." The fact that he's backpedaling now doesn't discount what I said about this before: there are many powerful people that envisioned this and will be basing their agendas off of this project.

From Politico:

"Stephen Moore, an adviser to the Trump campaign who co-authored the Project 2025 framework, said the policy guide has been misunderstood.

'It’s not meant to be a blueprint for Donald Trump — it’s meant to be a blueprint for a conservative president,' Moore said.

'We wrote this as our dream scenario,' Moore said of the authors, a list that includes former Trump Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro, who’s serving in federal prison after he was convicted of contempt of Congress.

'I assume some of the ideas Trump would reject and some he would adopt,' Moore said."

Three co-authors who laid out visions for overhauling energy and environmental agencies were high-ranking officials under Trump."
 
If your land is in city limits, that could be a good thing. We need more housing, but also need to combat urban sprawl. Seeing wildlife in town is cool and all, but I’d rather see less houses perforating natural areas.
there’s so much a city dweller could do on their lot. Butterfly garden, organic natural lawn, composting, rain caches, keeping their cat inside and on and on.
 
Everywhere I’ve hunted antelope is covered in oil and gas roads - is this reality different or the same as the one you describe? Serious question
Yes it is. SEE there are lots and lots of antelope in the areas that have oil and gas development. You won't be able to hunt inside the wind farm or the solar farm and there will be very very few lopes in a solar farm and wind farm.
 
Yes it is. SEE there are lots and lots of antelope in the areas that have oil and gas development. You won't be able to hunt inside the wind farm or the solar farm and there will be very very few lopes in a solar farm and wind farm.
Yup. Oil and gas equals good antelope habitat. Thanks for that great point. Helps the aesthetics of the hunt too 🤔
 
there’s so much a city dweller could do on their lot. Butterfly garden, organic natural lawn, composting, rain caches, keeping their cat inside and on and on.
Sure can, I’m just saying that one of best things folks can do is help keep people out of otherwise undeveloped habitat.

Here in Eugene the city passed a zoning reform a year or two ago where now there are no single-family-only zonings. Land /home owners can build additional dwellings in their yards, increasing housing density without altering the city boundary. Getting the units built is slow going, but it’s at least forward looking. No reason you couldn’t have a butterfly garden as well, my neighbor has a wildflower garden and 2 additional units on their .2 acre lot.
 
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