Pinned post
American, never let foreigners shame you about how we protect our wildlife.
Americans invented the field of wildlife biology (Aldo Leopold) integrating biology, ecology, and management. We were the first to create a national university system (starting with the University of Wisconsin’s program) to systematize the discipline of wildlife biology and grow our impact across species and systems. This professionalized wildlife science and management worldwide.
Americans created the world’s first national parks establishing the idea of setting aside public land for wildlife and recreation. Our model is emulated globally. I have half a dozen senior fish and wildlife professionals at any given time that come to study with us to learn how we do it and bring what we know back home.
Americans invented the idea of wildlife as a public trust (you own all of our wildlife, not a lord or a private land owner like in much of the old world). We passed laws to require rigorous science based management to inform hunting seasons. We saw the early errors of our ways and ended commercial game markets that decimated our big game. We invented the “user pays” system where hunters and anglers fund conservation via licenses and excise taxes on guns and ammo to the tune of $50 billion since our programs began.
All of these innovations enabled the most dramatic and remarkable wildlife population recoveries on record. Bison, reduced to ~1000 now number half a million thanks to public land, science, and management. White tailed deer were nearly eliminated by 1900 now see numbers greater than 30 million. Wild turkey, my favorite example of a major conservation innovation in our trap and transfer programs (paid for by hunters) recovered spectacularly. Elk, beaver, birds of prey, pronghorn, the list goes on and on. America has also done more than any other nation in human history to fund global wildlife conservation as well. Billions of taxpayer dollars sent to Africa, LatAm, and Asia to protect wildlife and train local scientists, a largely thankless gift from the US taxpayer.
Saying that our wildlife has been “exterminated” is just an insane and ignorant claim to make but don’t let that stop you from weighing in on our affairs!
Americans invented the field of wildlife biology (Aldo Leopold) integrating biology, ecology, and management. We were the first to create a national university system (starting with the University of Wisconsin’s program) to systematize the discipline of wildlife biology and grow our impact across species and systems. This professionalized wildlife science and management worldwide.
Americans created the world’s first national parks establishing the idea of setting aside public land for wildlife and recreation. Our model is emulated globally. I have half a dozen senior fish and wildlife professionals at any given time that come to study with us to learn how we do it and bring what we know back home.
Americans invented the idea of wildlife as a public trust (you own all of our wildlife, not a lord or a private land owner like in much of the old world). We passed laws to require rigorous science based management to inform hunting seasons. We saw the early errors of our ways and ended commercial game markets that decimated our big game. We invented the “user pays” system where hunters and anglers fund conservation via licenses and excise taxes on guns and ammo to the tune of $50 billion since our programs began.
All of these innovations enabled the most dramatic and remarkable wildlife population recoveries on record. Bison, reduced to ~1000 now number half a million thanks to public land, science, and management. White tailed deer were nearly eliminated by 1900 now see numbers greater than 30 million. Wild turkey, my favorite example of a major conservation innovation in our trap and transfer programs (paid for by hunters) recovered spectacularly. Elk, beaver, birds of prey, pronghorn, the list goes on and on. America has also done more than any other nation in human history to fund global wildlife conservation as well. Billions of taxpayer dollars sent to Africa, LatAm, and Asia to protect wildlife and train local scientists, a largely thankless gift from the US taxpayer.
Saying that our wildlife has been “exterminated” is just an insane and ignorant claim to make but don’t let that stop you from weighing in on our affairs!
The mass extermination of American fauna just proves that European anti poaching laws were correct and just.View quoted post on X
