May 18, 2005____________________________________
Welcome to the Alpha Environmentalist. Allow me to introduce myself, as this is my first post. My name is Jonathan Hanson. I am a registered Republican, a fiscal conservative, a social libertarian, a hawk on national defense issues, a hunter, and a serial gun owner. In other words, firmly in the right wing on most issues.
I am also what most right-wing pundits like to refer to as a "whacko environmentalist." That is, to put it simply, I believe that we should be doing everything possible to protect the last unspoiled parts of our country and our world, and the animals and plants that live there. Clean air and water is nice, too. This stance is in fact the guiding principle of my life: I am a freelance writer by trade, and much of my work deals with natural history, outdoor sports, and adventure travel.
One of the most deeply disappointing aspects of the current political scene is how polarized the subject of environmentalism has become, and how completely the mainstream Republican platform has turned its back on the issue. My wife and I belong to a group known as Republicans for Environmental Protection. We repeatedly ask ourselves why such a group even needs to exist.
The simple answer is because for the last 25 years Republican leaders have allowed big business to dictate their decisions on matters pertaining to wilderness designation, endangered species protection, pollution issues, and virtually every other matter involving the health of our natural environment. The party that stresses personal responsibility seems to lack any concept of corporate responsibility. We are told, ominously, that any dilution of corporate "freedom" will result in lost jobs, lost tax revenue, and a host of other evils - this in spite of the fact that such has been proven repeatedly not to be the case.
On the other hand, I am deeply disturbed and frightened by the attitude of many left-wing environmentalists, who are against hunting, against fishing, against ranching, and against any sort of real involvement with nature. Their mantra is that humans can only do harm in nature; that we must somehow appreciate the wild intellectually while remaining apart from it. And that attitude is now being taught to our children, who are told they must not collect tadpoles or old birds' nests, turn over logs to see what's underneath, build campfires, or do any of the other things that were what induced me to become an outdoorsman and environmentalist in the first place.
The related tragedy to the above is the creeping - well, galloping, really - chasm between special interest groups that should be allied in the fight to preserve our natural heritage. Hunters vs. anti-hunters, ranchers vs. urban enviros, hikers vs. 4x4 enthusiasts, on and on. Because we cannot come together we are losing the one thing that unites us: the open space in which to enjoy our chosen pursuits. There is room for everyone and every sort of outdoor pursuit in our country - for now. If we don't unite soon, there won't be.
Therefore I propose a new name for what is actually an old philosophy. I call it Alpha Environmentalism, in homage to the strong alpha leaders among wolves and other predators. What it really is is a return to a decades-old philosophy of strenuous involvement with nature. Only by being involved with something can we truly appreciate it. Ethical hunting and fishing, ranching, and vehicle-dependent exploration are all part of this philosophy, as is a commitment to the preservation of wilderness - lots of wilderness.
_____________________________________________
Return to the Alpha Environmentalist blog main page
