Wil's Rant

One of the problems with the movement today is the fact that they have become in many ways not much different than a political party. As a result, they lose credibility. I recognize that they are fighting the good fight and all that, and that they must compete with other influences who take full advantage of the media and misinformation. The thing is that we musn't lose sight of the big picture which is to figure out how we can live on this planet with nature. Nature itself is very brutal. We all like to think of it in a romantic light, but the fact is not many of us could actually survive there without significant training and weapons. Certainly it must be preserved, but I'd still prefer to observe many of it's creatures from a nice safe distance. When I travel in the Bush I go armed. I don't do this to hunt! Guns are loud, this is usually enough to scare off the average bear. As much as I love the woods, I prefer not to sacrifice one of my kids to romantic misconceptions about it's dangers. I have had a fair bit of experience hiking and camping in the Canadian bush. I have never had to shoot anything. I also make a great deal of noise while there so as not to surprise anything, this is probably the reason why I have never had any problems. The best defense is common sense and a little knowledge. As much as I enjoy the wilderness, I never forget that many of the animals there would have no problem having me for lunch!

Which all brings me back to the main point. And that is that the environmental movement must first stick to it's cause. The cause should be to figure out through credible research the answers to some of the problems we are facing today. Less money on offices and administration, more money on research and field work!