Why Conserve Land?

"When the trees start budding leaves, that’s how you know spring is coming," my mother noted one day as we drove down the interstate to my grandmother's house. Little 7 year old me looked out the window from the back seat, eagerly searching the branches blurring by for signs of buds. I had never before considered looking to the trees for signs of spring; most years I would judge the approaching of the season by the shedding of winter coats and the opening of all the local ice cream shops. But this natural phenomenon sparked a curiosity in me, and a question began to form on my mind: what else does nature have to offer?

Of course, I was well aware of the process by which trees grew and shed their leaves with the changing seasons, but I had never truly been aware enough of my natural surroundings to actually notice it happening. Once I was introduced to the idea, however, I began to look for other secrets and mysteries in nature, from the way the tides change to the way cows lie down when a storm is coming. I started realizing that nature is dangerously underrated and ignored in our society, and that everyday we are destroying it more and more with development and pollution. If we do not dramatically change our behavior in the coming years, future generations will be left with little to no natural resources to explore and enjoy. With this in mind, I made it one of my goals to do my part to help the planet and raise awareness of the need to protect the environment. 

This blog was created to do just that: spread the message. To start it off, I composed a list of the top ten reasons, in my opinion, to conserve land and natural resources. I will expand on some of these in future posts, and also comment on how the government is handling certain topics of debate related to conservation. I would love to hear your opinions, so feel free to comment!

10. The economy relies on the environment. A large proportion of American spending is connected to the resources and benefits of nature, and jobs depend on these things as well.
9. Everyone loves a breath of fresh air. Furthermore, everyone has the right to a breath of fresh air, in my opinion. Such a simple request should not be denied.
8. It’s absolutely beautiful. The sights, sounds, and smells of nature are indescribable and impossible to recreate. Everyone has experienced at least one completely breathtaking experience in nature (and if you haven’t, well that just further proves my point).
7. National parks and conservation projects provide jobs. With our current unemployment rate so low, we need all the jobs we can get to be available.
6. Resources like food, wood, and oil come from the environment. Simply put, the more land we destroy, the fewer resources we have access to.
5. Animals are becoming endangered and extinct. Without anywhere to live, millions of wild animals, and sometimes entire species, die off, completely eliminating evolution possibilities and upsetting the food chain.
4. Open spaces provide areas for recreation, like hiking and camping. My favorites are trail rides and picnics. Certain activities absolutely require being outside (ever tried flying a kite indoors?) and without access to open spaces we will no longer be able to participate in these activities.
3. Our land represents our country’s history and culture. It is one of the only aspects of American life that has remained constant since our country’s founding, and it serves as a source of national pride and unity.
2. It is physically impossible to live without nature. We need oxygen and food, among other things, to even survive. If we destroy ecosystems, we lose these things, and eventually the human race will cease to exist. Scary, huh?
1. Once it’s gone, you can never get it back. No matter how many trees we plant and how much land we cultivate, our natural environment will never be the same once it’s destroyed. We need to act now to prevent the complete destruction of the wonderful planet we live on, before it’s too late.

There are an infinite number of reasons to conserve land and protect the environment. Now it’s up to us to consider those reasons and actually do something to save the earth so that future generations can benefit from it in the same ways we have.

Nature is priceless. Cherish it.

Thanks for reading!