Up Front

Two hundred fifty years ago this month, the founding fathers had a vision — that people had the right to govern themselves. They wanted a different future for themselves and for their families, one grounded in the belief of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

In 1776, Missouri was a place of rolling prairies, open woodlands, and expansive wetlands. Herds of bison roamed the prairies, elk bugled in the valleys, black bears inhabited the forested edges, and paddlefish, sturgeon, and bass swam our clear streams. At the confluence of the big rivers, the intersection of the prairies and the Ozarks, it was likely one of the richest wildlife places on the continent.   

And then in less than a century, those once abundant fish and wildlife were largely gone due to market hunting, overharvesting our forested land, and overfishing our streams. It was at that point that Missourians wanted something different. In 1936, Missourians established the Missouri Conservation Commission and charged it with one primary task, “Bring ’em back.” 

Many fish and wildlife species have returned, forests have regrown, and streams have recovered, but the work of protecting and managing these wild things and their habitats continues. Today, with ever increasing demands to feed and fuel a growing country with changing expectations and requests for the land, how do we balance sustaining the things that make Missouri a great place to live while meeting the expectations of the public? 

The founders were outdoorsmen. They hunted, fished, and understood their lives were inseparable from the natural world. Embedded in their revolutionary view was a radical idea that wildlife belongs to all people, not just to the kings. This idea of wildlife as a public trust makes conservation in America unique to anywhere else in the world. Wildlife belongs to all of us, and we must work together to conserve it. 

The radical idea of our time is to once again recognize how important nature is, not just as a commodity to be consumed but as critical infrastructure necessary for our own well-being. Taking care of nature is essential to our ability to obtain that great American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..

Jason Sumners, Director

JASON.SUMNERS@MDC.MO.GOV