Polarization is Bad for Conservation

Salt Lake City Tribune columnist Tom Wharton has a very nice piece in which he writes:

It was refreshing to see the National Rifle Association sit down with Democratic leaders in Congress recently to close loopholes in background checks that could prevent a future tragedy like the one at Virginia Tech.

That's because polarization on issues dealing with gun rights, wilderness, wildlife management and open-space preservation often results in stalemate.

Part of the problem, according to Paul Hansen of the Izaak Walton League of America, is many hunting and gun groups identify with Republicans, but environmentalists mostly gravitate toward Democrats. Those groups avoid meeting with each other for fear of alienating longtime supporters.

The other problem Hansen identified at the recent Outdoor Writers Association of America conference is that, too often, groups are so self-righteous that they leave little room to move the party line.

"When people act too self-righteously, they hurt the cause," said Hansen, who represents a hunting-oriented group with a long history of protecting the environment.

"It could help the cause if there was more humility and groups did more listening .... Polarization is bad for conservation."

To read more >> click here