The Waterman Fund’s essay contest theme team met yesterday at Laura’s house to discuss the future of the essay contest. Lots of enthusiasm, support, and great ideas generated by this thoughtful team! Here’s a sneak preview of the 2014 contest theme, which centers on the relevance of wilderness ethics in the 21st century:

Aldo Leopold wrote, “It is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value.” Leopold was not talking about economic value here; he meant value in the philosophical sense. Do Leopold’s words have relevance today? What does a land (wilderness) ethic mean as we move into the first quarter of the twenty-first century? Can people and “progress” and wildness co-exist? Is there hope for wild places in today’s world?