Lang, a Caiifornian, Sold His Company for Sonie

When Elizabeth Johnson decided to become an amateur naturalists to land-use planners and development ecologist, she neverdreamed she would end up in the consultants-but also to use education to influence land- urban jungle. But as manager of the Metropolitan management decisions. It focuses primarily on Biodiversity Program at the American Museum of invertebrates-such as butterflies, mussels and CENTI especially those unloved creepy crawlies, many of which are Natural History in New York City, Johnson aims to protect the natural resources of a region of more than 21 million people threatened or endangered. "Our goal," says Johnson, "is that is more asphalt than green. "People write off urban to provide good research and good science in a way that and suburban areas, policymakers tan understand." MES but they are really Me program holds workshops that enable par- important," she ticipants to hone their species-identification skills and says. "That's where learn about ecology and conservation challenges. R the effects of han developed a guide to the region's fresh-water sprawl, habitat loss, 0 i• nvasive mussels and another for its 400-plus species of species, bees. A booklet called Lille in the Leaf Litter, about T ~ c3ô~ct* what Johnson calls "the invisible creatures you walk Tl eôdore itoose  pollution and cli past unknowingly every time you visit one of our City parks," became an unexpected hit. It grew out of a survey of Co servation Pa  • mate change nership is are m more intense." New York City's Central Park that turned up a new wor ing Washi gton to The Metropoli species of centipede. Now in the works: an k ep Ameri a's lande tan Biodiversity Pro "invertebrate observer's calendar" for New Yorkers aseme s from goin~ gram, which John interested in seeking out horseshoe crabs, lightning xtinct'Atrisk: bd soncoundedin 1997, is bugs and other creatures. "We're always looking for deigned not only to edu- thelâs,ope spacès new ways to reach out to the community and make cate a broad audience - people appreciate nature where they live," Johnson from City wellers and says. "When people learn to love local nature, that translates into conservation." -SyAndrea , JIM RANGE, THE CHAIRMAN think the govemment is going te buyDorfman huge not removing conservation tax incentives," he of the Theodore Roosevelt chunks of public lard anymore:' Range notes that says. An environmental attorney, Range Conservation Partnership almost 14 million hectares have been protected helped start the TRCP, named for the U.Sa protect first conservation-minded President, in 2002. Mo~ersity focs (TROP), a coalition of U.S. by easements in the past 25 years. Landowners kwertebrates, li'ke, hunting, fishing and conserva got tax breaks by entering into a federal He met with the current President in - v Ï d-earthwo tion groups, hasn't been spending easement program that protects property December 2003 to help head off a proposai which tend to bemuch time outdoors on his Montana from development. But some people jacked up from the U.S. Environmental Protection underfoot, Agency (EPA) that could have removed pro- ranch lately. Insteadù he bas been in the wilds the price of their land or made claims on lard underappreciat tected wetlands from the Clean Water Act. underthre4at'of Washington, D.C., working on what he that had little conservation value. "Congres considers the most important issue facing the avants to stop these thieves by lowering the tax Four days later, President Bush killed the EPA environment today-taxes. How's that? "If incentives;' he says. If that were to happen, draft plan. With the Senate Finance Committee now ready to consider plans to you look at the arsenal of tools that we have though, a lot of good habitatSensing could disaster, be gone Alt moved into the hot-seaf., "This is no-,_~ X forever, sold te, developers. "Getting rid of the reduce incentives for easements, Range bas for conservation, especially on private lands, longer j ust about hunting-it's a social and environmental, issiW> that tax incentives are critical," he says. "I dont loopholes is the answer,is 100 times larger than oursome sport," more he convincing says: Khative te do. PeiÏn -By Jay sylvanian Casseil S ëyMes and dedicated deer hunter, he previously had hero-f w.9 ically re- established the state's bear population. He promPt I persuaded the game commissionROGER to increase the doe-hunt dra-xc matically. "If we cant act responsibly,iée's growing society pcrrebtesi will find anot:her,,'-, The more aggressive, non way of dealing westslsrpewith this," cuttfar he•o says.at troua "As a trained3 A FEW YEARS AGO, GARY ALT, A TOP WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST IN native brown and rainbow trout in his Montana fais to re- Pennsylvania, had this idea: if the state managed its deer herd forwere supplanting wildlifeor hy- biologist, I could see what the Jack of sci establis93 a species bridizing the cutthroats,ence-based sa management was doing to the sport and the benefitWhen Roger of the Lang entire avent iookingecosystem, for westsiope everyone cutthroat would trout nearwin-bird that was lrysing out fat watchers,his ranch grouse in southwestern hunters, Montana, hikers, hefishermen, climbed highsn land the owners-but Lang set out ta findits rasidual future. If I had te, sacrifice rny career, it would especiallymountains---very deer hunters, high. the "We state's were ranging mont fervidup between outdoorspeople $,000 and by apopulations of Bene#lcallybe worth pure westslopeit:' cutthroats- long 9,500shot. feet [?,400-2,900 m], above the treeline," says Lang, 46, Gnrorhynchus clarki tewisi.He It wasdid. only Pressure by et mbing from above hunting groups forced a software entrepreneur turned conservationïst with a passion for Alt didrCt invent ecosystem management, but for many statewaterfalls and other naturalthe commissionblockages that to Lang backpedA was able taand Alt resigned in saving a species of troua first described by explorers Lewis and find stream ~%ith pure cutthrcats wildlifeClark agencies in the early it 19th remains century a revolutionary, poisonous treatise. Following genetic testing,disgust. those Today that t_,r:he isied a outwildlife-management ta te 100% consul- What huntersLang, a want-deer,Caiifornian, sold deer his evei-ywhere-isn't:goodcompany for sonie for thepure became part of a captivetant and breeding public program. speaker Now withLang has plenty of work. It ecosystem$300 million, or even and withthe part quarry of the they proceeds pursue. he and Pennsylvania his wife is ahundreds of breeding pairsseems and A 4,000 ideas finger arelings. welcomed He is working by many hunters, at leadingCynthia example bought ofthe that7,300-hectare conundrum. Sun Ranch For indecades, Cameron, its huntersto find places ta reir;tr.,aduce the purebreds. Says he: "Anything resistedMontana, efforts from to actor reduce Steven the Seagal. deer herd.Lang quicklyAs a discovresult,ered overpopu -that develops oser hundredsGARY of thousands ALT of Heyears resigned deserves from a' the that the native cutthroats--so named because of a distinctive chance of beirrg rescuGdPennsylvania No matter how Game high Commission ha has ta go. alter ftunters lationred led s!ash to a undertheirjawline-were declining herd as well in trouble.as to the destruction of forest-By1'erryMcCarthy habitat critical to other critters. S- persuaded the agency to shelve his plan to reduce ,** the deer herd to benefit the entire forent habitat