On Policy, Philosophy & the Environment
On Policy, Philosophy & the Environment
with guest scholars Evelyn Brister & Travis Brammer
Symposium description & what we explored
In this mini-symposium facilitated by community philosopher Marisa Diaz-Waian we talked about policy, philosophy, and the environment with guest panelists and authors from the book A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits. Topics explored ranged from environmental justice and conservation policy (Evelyn Brister) to market solutions for conservation on private lands (Travis Brammer). The symposium was a collabvorative project sponsored & co-hosted by community partner Lewis & Clark Library. The symposium was structured in a way that allowed ample time for community Q & A, as well as questions posed to the panelists by the facilitator.
Some Questions to the Guest Panelists by the Facilitator
To both panelists:
- This book covers a number of issues, from conserving wildlife, water, and public lands to affordable housing and the impact of income inequality. What do you think is the highest priority for changing how people think about sustainability in the West? And how does the work that your doing fit into this?
- This book is about the American West. Why the West? Why do you think its special?
To Evelyn Brister:
- This book covers a number of issues, from conserving wildlife, water, and public lands to affordable housing and the impact of income inequality. What do you think is the highest priority for changing how people think about sustainability in the West? And how does the work that your doing fit into this?
- You and one of the other three editors are philosophers, but there are not many quotes by philosophers in the book. The only cat mentioned by name is John Locke, whose ideas are foundational to conceptions of private property, and whose name is often invoked to justify increasing privatization. So, how does philosophy show up in this book?
- In some of our correspondence for this, you mentioned that “finding solutions to problems of social and ecological limits usually does not mean overcoming limits—it means understanding why accepting limits has high value” and that “accepting finitude is part of the human condition.” I’m wondering if you can say a little bit more about that.
to Travis Brammer:
- Are there different models of easements that might address potential hesitancies some might have for establishing a conservation easement due, for example, to their perpetual nature?
- It seems like when it comes to effecting change toward, or sustaining conservation and stewardship practices, that a market approach is interested in identifying & finding ways that appeal to people’s existing motivations, as opposed to necessarily engendering a change in worldview or mind-set. Is this accurate? If so, do you find this problematic? Or is that part of the limits of what a market approach can and can’t do?
Thank you to our guest panelists, Evelyn Brister & Travis Brammer, for all of your hard work preparing for this symposium and the wonderful dialogue you heloped to generate!
About Our Guest Scholars
Evelyn Brister is a Professor of Philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology and a faculty affiliate in Public Policy and Environmental Science. Her research examines ethical and political issues in land management and conservation science. She is the editor, with Robert Frodeman, of A Guide to Field Philosophy (Routledge, 2020), a collection of essays examining collaborations between philosophers and policymakers, and she has written over two dozen articles in philosophy and environmental science. She spends as much time as she can in and around Yellowstone. In her new book, A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits, she and other authors present practical approaches to addressing ecological, economic, and cultural issues that are motivated by philosophical views on justice, quality of life, and sustainability.
Travis Brammer is the Director of Conservation at The Property and Environmental Research Center (PERC), overseeing its Conservation Innovation Lab and all field projects. Raised as a seventh-generation family cattle rancher in Colorado with professional expertise in western conservation issues, Travis is passionate about the intersection of conservation and agriculture. He began his career at the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust rising to become the group’s Interim Conservation Director. He later graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming College of Law and most recently served as a Conservation Fellow at the Ruckelshaus Institute and MacMillan Private Lands Stewardship Program.
Audio Recording & Other Resources
Symposium Presentations & Community Discussion
Listen to the audio recording of our panelist presentations & community conversation.
The Fish Doorbell Initiative
Because this initiative came up in our community discussion, and because it is just that cool!!! What’s the Fish Doorbell project?: “The Fish Doorbell is an initiative of the municipality of Utrecht, Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden (HDSR), and Mark van Heukelum of Dutch Wallfish. The municipality of Utrecht and HDSR manage and maintain the water quality in the Vecht, Kromme Rijn, and Utrecht’s canals.” Learn more about the Fish Doorbell initiative here.
Photos
Community Partners, Sponsors & Thank You’s
Thank you to our community partner, Doubletree by Hilton Helena Downtown, and program sponsor & co-host, Lewis & Clark Library for your support! Thank you also to Ross P. Nelson, for capturing audio of the symposium for us, and to the Helena community for coming out and helping to make the program a success!
