Conservationists and environmentalists

In the Fall 2006 issue of Nature Conservancy Magazine, Hal Herring revealed that hunters and anglers might also be conservationists:

"To be sure, many members of the self-described hook-and-bullet community don’t look like stereotypical environmentalists. It’s no secret, and no wonder, that hunters and nonhunting environmentalists often make each other nervous.

"But what may come as a surprise is that sporting and conservation groups, including the Conservancy, frequently turn to each other as partners. And while they may not see eye-to-eye on every issue, what connects them is an understanding that healthy ecosystems mean healthy habitats for game animals."

I think maybe the tree-huggers are more surprised than the so-called "hook-and-bullet" crowd.

Hunters and anglers, in my experience, typically are conservationists. Whether that's out of some narrow self-interest (Ducks Unlimited purchases thousands of acres of wetlands and protects it to boost the numbers of migratory waterfowl) or genuine appreciation of the natural world for its own sake ... well, who knows?

Maybe a little of both.

It's a chicken-or-the-egg question for me. I can't remember if I first wanted to fish so I could be on the water, or if I wanted to be on the water so I could fish.

I do remember the first time I spent an entire morning in a duck blind watching an osprey work for its breakfast and enjoying the sight of late-season bluebills and buffleheads alighting in my decoys. I didn't fire a shot that morning.

So what's the difference between an environmentalist and a conservationist? According to Webster's, the respective objective definitions are pretty similar:

Environmentalism: 2 : advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment; especially : the movement to control pollution

Conservation: 1 : a careful preservation and protection of something; especially : planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect

Subjectively, I'm much more comfortable being called a conservationist. A conservationist, in my mind, recognizes human needs in the environment. An environmentalist, perhaps, may not.

Other than those vague connotations -- and I'm not at all sure I'm right -- I really don't know what the difference is.

Thoughts on this? Let me know.