Commentary: Preservation is not conservation — the common public lands narrative problem

Today, most Americans understandably confuse conservation with preservation. That’s because virtually all media confuse the two perspectives and consistently mislabel preservationist organizations (e.g., Center for Biodiversity, Western Watersheds, Defenders of Wildlife) as conservation-focused.
Even the Humane Society of the United States – a decidedly anti-hunting, anti-fishing entity – has been called a conservation organization (perhaps because that’s how it refers to itself.) A recent example from the Sunday New York Times (May 31, 2026) is a good illustration.