Early conservation pioneers succeeded because they understood how to convey the importance of their ideals to the public. However, the conservation movement has to a large extent moved away from an agenda of trying to convince society of its social, cultural, and economic value. We no longer strive for the hearts of our nations’ publics. The conservation community has replaced this with an emphasis on membership rosters and obtaining political influence, both often emphasizing specific issues that can hardly be viewed as being of the greatest public value or concern. The result has been an indifferent public, by and large, and one totally uninformed about conservation issues and the relevance of hunting in modern times.

udsjgdrh Shane Mahoney is addressing an audience at Pheasants Forever's "Rally for Conservation" in 2014. In this half hour speech, he discusses how conservation is truly the most important purpose in today's society; what will you pass on to your children/grandchildren? and what he sees as the top three challenges facing conservation.