This blog is the story of George Gay, who works for the National Wildlife Federation in our Northeast Natural Resource Center in Vermont. He is the Senior Manager, Wildlife Conservation Programs.

A Father’s Legacy

My dad grew up as a single child in Baltimore in the 1930s. He spent his free time outdoors. He taught himself woodcraft, taxidermy, and how to make firearms. He made beautiful Kentucky rifles. He pushed me to believe, and it may seem old-fashioned, I should know my way around the woods, an axe and a dog. He also understood the web of life, and we talked often about the complexities of nature. He loved Aldo Leopold and John Muir. I remember him reading me books as a little kid, such as the biography of Francis Parkman, the man who explored the American West, and James Fenimore Cooper – the author of the Leatherstocking Tales.

Growing Up in Northern Virginia

My dad spent a lot of time with me when I was growing up in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington, DC. We went goose hunting on the eastern shore of Maryland and pheasant hunting in southwestern Virginia. He taught me how to trap muskrats. He drove me to school in McLean, Virginia. I remember stopping our car by a bridge off of Georgetown Pike or along the Potomac River. I would go down and my check traps. This was our routine every day that I had a trap line. No exceptions. This was a beautiful time in my life.

Later, in middle school, I “ran” my trap line by bicycle. I got up before the sun rose, put my pack basket on my back, rode to a nearby creek or pond, and walked into the woods with a flashlight or by moonlight. Normally, muskrats died instantaneously in body gripping Conibear traps. However, if I came upon an animal in one of my traps that was alive, I would dispatch myself. This was hard. But, I learned how to skin and flesh a furbearer. And, I learned what it meant to be a part of the web of life. I was exposed to the out-of-doors in a pretty intense way. I thought deeply about wildlife and wildlife habitat in an urban landscape.

Exploring the Maine Wilderness

When I was 14, my parents sent me to a camp affiliated with the Quaker religion in northern Maine. We canoed and camped, from river to river, lake to lake, all summer. There was one plane drop of food. Our group was small and isolated. Eleven kids and three counselors in the wilds. We were not in aluminum or fiberglass canoes, but canoes made from cedar and canvas. We learned how to patch them when we hit a rock. We came to love our boats and take care good of them. You have probably been in an automobile on a secluded road and thought “I really hope I don’t break down here.” We thought the same on the waters of the Allagash and St. Croix rivers. So, we worked hard to make sure our canoes were well cared for and would not break down.

After two months I remember coming out of the camp and meeting my dad in Augusta, Maine at the airport. He gave me an envelope and I thought “Oh great, some cash to use when I get home”. Instead, it was a year-long membership to the Wilderness Society. As a member, I received a copy of Wilderness every month. I read that magazine from cover to cover and learned what wilderness was. I decided then that I wanted to be a conservationist. In college at Virginia Tech I studied the things I loved – wildlife management and forestry.

Becoming a Naturalist and then a Lawyer

After college, I worked as a naturalist for the National Park Service in California. My duty station was Kings Canyon National Park, home of the Giant Sequoia, Sequoia sempervirens. I led evening programs and supervised hikes. I loved it.

I remember a speech by Ronald Reagan who was the governor of California at the time. He was commenting on a growing interest in the establishment of the Redwoods National Park. Governor Reagan said, “I don’t know why we need a national park. You’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all.” I realized that if I really want to protect the out-of-doors, I better be involved in conservation policy. Science and education is one thing, but policy is where the rubber hits the road. So I went to law school and got an environmental law degree.

Falling in Love with the Appalachians and New England

I went to Vermont Law School. Right away, I was drawn to the maturity of the Appalachians – the oldest mountains of the world. They are roughed over. You don’t get the eye candy of the Sierra Nevadas. The Appalachians seem more enduring. They are like a warm glow in the fireplace rather than a house fire out of control.

It’s something about the accessibility of the Appalachians that I love. This is a place where we all live. From frugal New Englanders to the Scotch-Irish of the Carolinas, we are part of the Appalachian forests. Few people are truly living in western landscapes above 14,000 feet in the Sierras or Rockies. There, you go to visit. Here, in the Appalachians, human cultures are a real part of the landscape. I really like that.

My home town, Stowe, Vermont, is special. I wake up every morning and I go to my mailbox. I look over a river valley to the unbroken landscape of the Worcester mountains. The Worcesters are really close and I can look up in those mountains and imagine all kinds of wild stuff going on – bobcats, bears, martin, and fisher.  I often wonder – am I  looking at a mother and her young frolicking on the hill side right now? There is this mystery and wonder in the place. But it’s my place.

Fatherhood

I have three boys. I realized as a young parent that the outdoors is a great place to interact with a child. When my kids were 6, 8 and 10, we would be driving to a sporting event, perhaps an hour away. We would have really meaningful conversations. My eyes were on the road. There wasn’t a lot of eye contact. I wasn’t preaching to them across a table.

When you are having this outdoor experience, it’s the same thing. It’s a great canvas on which to paint the lessons of life. You don’t have to sit there and talk about the tree or a duck. You can talk about why it’s important to do well in school, or why you must reach out to the kid that other people are picking on. These life lessons are more easily taught when you are doing something together in the  outdoors. It’s a great place to be a parent. It’s better than the kitchen table or the couch in front of the TV set. It worked when Grandfather did it for my dad, and when my dad it for me and my four siblings – so I wanted to do that with my three sons.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I wanted them to be connected to nature. That was one of my commitments as a dad. I wasn’t going to push them to love it, but I wanted them to have familiarity with it to decide if it was for them.

There is a place near my house called Cotton Brook. It’s one of my favorite places. It is part of the Mount Mansfield State Forest. It has a small brook that connects to a large reservoir. As a family, we would fly fish there in the summer, mountain bike and enjoy the colors in the fall, and in the winter, we would cross-country ski. We’d go to bed thinking about this place.

My Sons Continue My Father’s Legacy

My oldest son is a gardener and a developer of organic foods and local things. He also sees hunting as a component of a locavore’s connection to the land. He sees the harvesting of game as equally important as the harvesting of a garden. He works for Vermont Senator Sanders and loves the out-of-doors. My middle son graduated from Dartmouth and lives at my house. He likes working outside. My youngest son is a sophomore at Boston College and he loves being outside doing things like cross-country skiing and hiking, so there is an athleticism connected to his outdoor experience.

Having Nature Nearby

Every parent realizes how much children enrich our lives. Every day you wonder “what would I be if I didn’t have these children in my life?” I feel the same way about natural places near my home. My life would be a little emptier. Being a parent, husband, or member of the local conservation commission would be a little harder. I could do it, but it would be a little harder without my special place or two or three. That’s what gets me going and I want to share it with other people and make sure they have a special outdoor retreat – a Cotton Brook. I think if everybody could have a deep  connection with the out-of-doors, then everyone would be a little happier. Our whole society would be a little more positive.

Having wild outdoors spaces close to home is critical. That’s what motivates me – all the exercise and bonding with children, awareness of fish and wildlife. It’s got to be close  so we have to make sure there are places like this in all communities. I am inspired by National wildlife Federation’s work realizing these places have to be in your backyard, for it to be part of the fabric of your family.

My place was Cotton Brook, and I want everybody to have a Cotton Brook in their lives.

Support Our Work

George works to create a safe place for wildlife in the Northeast United States. Your donation helps wildlife and protects habitat.

Elk graze peacefully outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a fitting image for NWF supporter Bonnie H., whose wish is for wildlife "to remain truly wild and with the full protection of their environment."

“Wishes for Wildlife” was the brainchild of NWF Membership Department staffers Jenn Watral and Margot Krieger, who thought a list of such wishes would reveal the issues and species that inhabit the dreams of NWF members and supporters.

Here is a small sample of the wishes we’ve received:

• “My wish is for immediate enlightenment and action by the human species to protect, preserve and respect the other species on this planet and to end the destruction of them and their habitats.” – Bonnie H.

• “I wish the world could see all wildlife as being the victims of our wasteful and consuming ways. They need our help in whatever way possible. But it takes all of humanity to care.” – Dan F.

• “With my heart, thoughts, and prayers I wish wildlife’s greatest enemy (Mankind) could appreciate how deeply our mutual survival is intertwined. Every gain is a boost for us all. Every loss will be felt far more than it seems at the time. It is painful to observe how slowly mankind comes to this knowledge. I pray we learn in time.” – Dawn M.

• “May all beings be safe and free from harm. May all beings be free. May every suffering be the door to an open heart. And may the open heart spring to action for every one.” – Elizabeth C.

• “My wish is that all wildlife be safe and happy in their homes…that all those working so hard to save our planet be given the strength and wisdom to continue their work…that all mankind work together to better our planet and stop endangering it.” – A.R.

Wishes may seem a pretty thin foundation on which to build an edifice of change for conservation. As someone once sort of said, if wishes were Ferraris we’d all drive home in style. But history shows us some impressive examples of people turning wishes into reality. Henry Ford wished he could build automobiles, the Wright brothers wished they could fly, and John F. Kennedy wished America could send astronauts to the moon and back.

Wishes help give us a direction, but action and resources give us results. Ideally, as we ring in the New Year, these wishes will inspire us to action on behalf of beleaguered wild creatures and wild places and will inspire support for and commitment to wildlife conservation. NWF presently has 4 million members and supporters. We—and wildlife—can always use more.

To share your wishes for wildlife or to see the wishes sent in by others, go to www.nwf.org/wishforwildlife

NWF has just launched a new online portal called “Choose Your Cause.” Just click on the cause you care about most and enjoy inspiring stories and photos from folks on-the-ground who are working tirelessly to protect the wildlife and wild places we all love.

Trudging through the deep snow toward me, he looked like a prehistoric creature.  Fortunately, I was able to collect myself long enough to take this short video of my first incredible encounter with a bison in the wild.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was the winter of 2005 and I was on a National Wildlife Federation Expedition to Yellowstone National Park. On this same trip, my group was fortunate enough to also witness a herd of beautiful pronghorn antelope, numerous elk and a lone wolf howling in the distance — so haunting! Throughout the trip, I was constantly surprised by the emotions I felt as I observed these animals up close. It’s an experience I will not soon forget.

Needless to say, my trip to Yellowstone deepened my appreciation for our nation’s wildlife.And, it gives me great pride that National Wildlife Federation has been actively protecting Yellowstone wildlife for many years, thanks to our loyal supporters.

When the first explorers came to the Great Plains, it is estimated that 20 million bison roamed the land. By 1900, a little over 1,000 bison could be found with only a handful of wild bison left in Yellowstone National Park.

I have been a strong supporter myself of NWF’s Adopt-a-Wildlife-Acre program that helps protect bison, wolves and other wildlife that wander outside Yellowstone’s protected borders. Under grazing agreements, federal agents are obligated to kill the wandering wildlife to protect livestock. Through our program, NWF pays ranchers for their grazing privileges on acreage where wildlife conflicts exist. Then, we work with the U.S. Forest Service to permanently close the acreage to grazing. Ranchers are compensated, livestock thrives and wildlife survives. It’s win-win-win!

Introducing: Choose Your Cause

Because of my personal encounter with Yellowstone wildlife, I know first-hand what a profound effect my donations to this program can have.  And, it’s why I choose to continue to support this program through our newly launched Choose Your Cause online portal.

I know that not everyone can visit Yellowstone National Park or Bristol Bay in Alaska, or the many other wild places NWF is helping to protect. So, through our new Choose Your Cause site, we are bringing these national gems to you. Just click on the cause you care about most and enjoy inspiring stories and photos from folks on-the-ground who are working tirelessly to protect the wildlife and wild places we all love.