United for Conservation Progress - National Wildlife Federation and George W. Bush - Brief Article - Editorial

National Wildlife, April-May, 2001

Still new to the presidency, George W. Bush has a chance to unite the nation behind an agenda of conservation progress, instead of dividing it with policies that undermine the safeguards developed over three generations for our water, land and wildlife.

The National Wildlife Federation's position is clear. We want to work with the new administration to achieve real conservation progress, but attempts to roll back environmental safeguards and conservation gains will provoke a fight from which we will not retreat.

It's not enough for the new administration to simply do no harm. We've set a high bar for the conservation progress this administration should achieve.

It's the policies that count, not personalities. That's why NWF reserved judgment when the President announced controversial cabinet choices, vowing to work with them if their polices benefit the environment, and to oppose them if they did not. Common sense means choosing constructive cooperation over confrontation.

NWF's leadership role in building the conservation movement has demonstrated that dedicated officials can bridge any partisan divide to unite Americans around our mainstream conservation values. The nation is united in its expectation that four years from now the health of our wildlife and habitats will have improved. Making our water fit to drink and our lakes, rivers and streams fit for swimming and fishing unites us. Making a place for wildlife in our modern world unites us, as does the desire to save and restore pristine places for future generations.

Sure, progress will be incremental and reasonable differences may arise about tactics, but the direction is clear and it includes U.S. leadership on international environmental issues. For example, we must make steady progress in addressing global climate change, including reduction of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. We must make environmental concerns part of all new international trade agreements and confront the challenge of global population growth.

So long as the direction is forward, President Bush and his administration will have NWF support step-by-step in advancing a common-sense conservation agenda, at home and abroad.

Realistically, we will disagree with our new President on some important issues, among them the continued protection of special, unspoiled places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Our nation must protect the refuge now, or lose its wild splendor forever.

From the outset, NWF made clear its opposition to President Bush's intent to open the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas exploitation. Frankly, its wildlife resources and pristine environment are more precious than oil. Unless the President reverses his ill-advised course, we will bring to bear all the resources we can muster to oppose this policy.

Those resources are anchored in you, the members whose commitment and clout enables NWF to be America's conservation leader. It's people like each of you, from every walk and station of life who share the love of wildlife and wild places, who have made the voice of common-sense conservation heard in the White House in the past and who will do so again now.

This month, our grass-roots leaders will "Bring the Wild to Washington" for NWF's annual meeting in the nation's capital. They'll explore how bipartisanship can work in the service of conservation. They will join their voices in a rallying cry for people and wildlife, and conservation progress that unites the nation. We urge President Bush and his administration to listen.