The philosophy that I have worked under most of my life is that the serious study of natural history is an activity which has far-reaching effects in every aspect of a person's life. It ultimately makes people protective of the environment in a very committed way. It is my opinion that the study of natural history should be the primary avenue for creating environmentalists.
Interpretation
Studying natural history deeply influences one's commitment to environmental protection.
Roger Tory Peterson emphasizes that engaging seriously with natural history profoundly impacts individuals, fostering a strong commitment to environmental conservation. He argues that this study not only enriches personal knowledge but also cultivates a sense of responsibility towards nature, suggesting that understanding the intricacies of the natural world is essential for developing dedicated environmentalists.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech at an environmental conference to emphasize the importance of education in fostering environmentalists.
Birds ... are sensitive indicators of the environment, a sort of "ecological litmus paper," ... The observation and recording of bird populations over time lead inevitably to environmental awareness and can signal impending changes.
The truth of the matter is, the birds could very well live without us, but many -- perhaps all -- of us would find life incomplete, indeed almost intolerable without the birds.
Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we'll soon be in trouble.
Birding, after all, is just a game. Going beyond that is what is important.
The sounding cataract Haunted me like a passion; the tall rock, The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood, An appetite; a feeling and a love that had no need of a remoter charm by thought supplied, nor any interest Unborrowed from the eye.
It’s only the sea,’ said Moomintroll. ‘Every wave that dies on the beach sings a little song to a shell. But you mustn’t go inside because it’s a labyrinth and you may never come out again.
We torture and kill two billion sentient living beings every week. 10,000 entire species are wiped out every year because of the actions of one, and we are now facing the sixth mass extinction in cosmological history. If any other organism did this, a biologist would consider them a virus.
I flew helicopters, which actually is the second best view of the earth. The first best view is, I think, a little bit higher.
They claim this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own use, and fence their neighbors away from her, and deface her with their buildings and their refuse.
Earth as an ecosystem stands out in the all of the universe. There's no place that we know about that can support life as we know it, not even our sister planet, Mars, where we might set up housekeeping someday, but at great effort and trouble we have to recreate the things we take for granted here.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.