It Must Be Poor Life That Achieves

The Last Word In Ignorance Is The Man Who Says Of An Animal Or Plant: 'what Good Is It?

Thus Far We Have Considered The Problem Of Conservation Of Land Purely As An Economic Issue. A False Front Of Exclusively Economic Determinism Is So Habitual To Americans In Discussing Public Questions That One Must Speak In The Language Of Compound Interest To Get A Hearing.

I Do Not Imply That This Philosophy Of Land Was Always Clear To Me. It Is Rather The End Result Of A Life Journey.

A Land Ethic...reflects The Existence Of An Ecological Conscience, And This In Turn Reflects A Conviction Of Individual Responsibility For The Health Of The Land. Health Is The Capacity Of The Land For Self-renewal. Conservation Is Our Effort To Understand And Preserve This Capacity.

Land Health Is The Capacity For Self-renewal In The Soils, Waters, Plants, And Animals That Collectively Comprise The Land.