so I’m actually pretty tolerant of people erring on the side of caution on these matters provided they don’t start advocating and trying to take away freedoms. This would be a terrible world without our natural wonders but I think most people know that and actively support most reasonable conservation efforts.

It is interesting though how personal behaviors change, for instance I’ve always hunted all of my life. When I was younger it was very important to me that I harvest game when I went out in the field. But as I’ve grown older the actual killing has become less important to me to the point of I’m not all that sure that I do want to kill things anymore. I have no issue with other hunters killing game, just for me I feel like maybe I’ve done my share. I’ve got a lot of bonus points for both elk and moose in the Utah big game draw system but I didn’t draw either of them this year, with over 20 years of trying for both, and found that I wasn’t all that disappointed that I didn’t draw.

I also find myself mourning the loss of the rural farm feel of the community I live in as it has become mostly suburban. So the affects of man are not something I ignore and don’t care about, but I also realize that things are better than ever for people, they really are, and that is in no small part because we have tamed nature in many ways. I don’t want to give up my central air and refrigerator to go live in a teepee for instance and I enjoy traveling the world in relative comfort and at great speed on airplanes. I don’t want to give those things up and don’t believe we should have to give them up.

I think we’re doing a good job of figuring things out and improving on them.