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I am including here a passage or two of David Myers' writings in Behold the Beauty, the book that The Wildlands Conservancy has produced to help illustrate (in glorious photography) some of the epic landscapes being preserved for all of us to share. These passages inform my work these days, and inspire my efforts on this 24n24 endeavor.
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There lies a transcendence amid deep forests, pastoral meadows, remote beaches and solitary deserts that the world’s great art,
music and literature have attempted to capture. Indeed this is why the great poets, prophets and redeemers of humanity sought
the wilderness. Wherever there is a place of great beauty and biodiversity, inspired people have been given the eyes to see that
beauty, the mind to understand the importance of biodiversity, and the passion to act upon its preservation. The Wildlands
Conservancy is but another face of people, past and present, who have devoted their lives to preserving timeless enclaves of
nature. By preserving wild lands though reverent stewardship, by opening our preserves to the public at no cost, and through
our children’s programs, we trust people will be inspired by the songs of birds, the music of streams, the whispering pines,
and voices more eloquent than our own.
Since incorporating in 1995, The Wildlands Conservancy has continued to promote its model
of land-based conservation through expanding our preserve system. That system now
includes the West Coast’s largest nonprofit preserve at Wind Wolves, California’s largest
nonprofit wilderness at Pioneertown Mountains Preserve, and California’s longest stretch of
nonprofit-owned coastline at Sounding Seas Dunes and Eel River Estuary Preserves. What
is most remarkable is that these preserves are being purchased and restored with private
donations, and opened for free passive recreation with national park quality facilities.
Over the past 15 years, there has been a growing demand for conservation organizations to
become land stewards and for more individuals to become citizen conservationists, docents
and restoration volunteers. The restoration challenges facing California’s landscapes far
exceed the financial and human resources of government to adequately address them. The
Wildlands Conservancy’s overarching goal is to call people back to the beauty, wonder and
inspiration of the natural world, and to encourage people to be participants in saving our
magnificent landscapes and restoring California’s rich biological diversity.
Ultimately, saving land means educating and instilling a love for nature in the next generation. The boundaries we place around our state and national parks and wilderness areas are not automatically sacred and inviolate to the next generation. It is the value system of our culture that gives land designations meaning and prevents all land use decisions to subordinate to utilization, profit and expediency. This is why The Wildlands Conservancy is California’s nonprofit leader in providing free outdoor education programs to almost one million children to date. It is through these programs, and reverent stewardship of preserves visited by almost half a million people a year, that we foster a love and respect for life in all its magnificent forms.
Ultimately, saving land means educating and instilling a love for nature in the next generation. The boundaries we place around our state and national parks and wilderness areas are not automatically sacred and inviolate to the next generation. It is the value system of our culture that gives land designations meaning and prevents all land use decisions to subordinate to utilization, profit and expediency. This is why The Wildlands Conservancy is California’s nonprofit leader in providing free outdoor education programs to almost one million children to date. It is through these programs, and reverent stewardship of preserves visited by almost half a million people a year, that we foster a love and respect for life in all its magnificent forms.
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