For many generations, this meant obtaining a nicer house, a better education, or more material goods. People can renew their spirit in the surroundings of nature. Wildlife, fish, flowers, shrubs, and trees are abundant in numbers and variety. People can work with confidence that future generations will not bear an unacceptable cost for the consequences of their work. The land sustains economic and social uses that do not compromise its health.
Water flows clean, cold, and abundantly for use by many dependent life forms.
People can feel connected to the land part of the larger community of all living things that Aldo Leopold envisioned. To realize our vision for the future, we as a Nation must commit to conserve our precious natural resources. But conservation is not enough we must also restore the health of the land, protecting the rich natural resource legacy we ourselves inherited.