National Convention Speakers Delight and Inspire Delegates

The League's annual convention – held this year in Lincoln, Nebraska – offered a robust schedule of conservation speakers who delighted and inspired members from across the country.

Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, provided insights into America's most famous conservation president. In the face of personal tragedy, Roosevelt headed west to clear his head. Traveling through North Dakota's Badlands, he had an epiphany when he went hunting for buffalo – and couldn't find one for a week due to massive over-hunting of buffalo across the plains.

Roosevelt became an even more ardent conservationist and helped to rally hunters to the cause of restoring game and other wildlife populations. Following the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901, Roosevelt became president. Over the next seven years, he helped to conserve tens of millions of acres of public land in national wildlife refuges, forests, and monuments.

Bob Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and conservation editor for Field & Stream magazine, discussed political challenges that threaten to undo decades of conservation work that supports the world's best public outdoor experiences. "One out of five voice votes in the U.S. House of Representatives last year was to weaken environmental protections," Marshall reported. According to many in Congress, Marshall quipped, "Our air is too clean, our water is too pure, and we just have too many public lands."

Marshall encouraged sportsmen to speak out in support of legislation and policies that protect America's remaining natural resources. "If you want to have something to show for all your work on conservation, you have to change the dynamic with your congressional delegation. Don't underestimate your power as an individual."

Conservation Luncheon speaker Michael Forsberg, an award-winning photographer and Nebraska native, delighted conference attendees with dynamic images from the Great Plains and stories about the wildlife that abound. "At first glance, it looks like there's nothing out there. But if you watch and wait, the plains come alive." From burrowing owls to colorful fish that would be at home on a coral reef, from Sandhill cranes with social traits quite similar to our own to an encounter with an elusive bobcat, Forsberg's stories inspired a renewed passion for conservation on this endangered ecosystem.

Scott Kovarovics, IWLA Conservation Director, rounded out the convention line-up with a brief history of the League's conservation successes and ongoing challenges. Kovarovics explained that America's conservation challenges "have evolved, not been solved," and encouraged League members to collaborate at all levels of the organization to ensure continued conservation success.

Look for complete convention coverage in the next issue of the Izaak Walton League's Outdoor America magazine.

Back to top