{"id":2894,"date":"2024-02-07T15:20:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T21:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sustainabledriftlessmag.com\/sdmunicdn\/?p=2894"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:50:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T14:50:46","slug":"the-impact-of-the-arts-in-the-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainabledriftlessmag.com\/sdmunicdn\/the-impact-of-the-arts-in-the-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"THE IMPACT of the ARTS in the WILD"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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The Art of the Wild: From Grandparents\u2019 Mantels\u00a0 to National Policy\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\r\n

Long before I stood before a classroom at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse teaching\u00a0 Environmental Policy, my art education began on my grandparents’ mantel. It was there, in the\u00a0 1970s, that a hand-carved set of trout lived. Admiring those natural vintage wood grains, I could\u00a0 see the artist\u2019s license at work\u2014a silent, graceful communication of the wild fish that swim Wisconsin\u2019s streams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Those carvings weren’t just decor. They were part of a cozy space of Sunday night family\u00a0 activity, the <\/span>Lucky 13 Fishing Show<\/span><\/i>, in a den filled with books about water. Looking back, that\u00a0 artwork wasn’t just aesthetic\u2014it was foundational. It shaped me into a vigilant advocate for\u00a0 water quality and biodiversity, grounding me in the visceral connection we humans have to our\u00a0 environment. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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A Legacy of Visual Advocacy\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n

The arts have always been the heartbeat of conservation. They didn\u2019t just portray the American\u00a0 landscape: they created the political will to protect it. We see this through the masters who\u00a0 came before us:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n