"Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them.  Now we face the question whether a still higher 'standard of living' is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free.  for us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television, the chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech."  Aldo Leopold, excerpt from foreword of A Sand County Almanac, 1948

Today, as when Leopold wrote these words in 1948, many people continue to value the chance to enjoy wildlife in its natural habitat.  Yet despite decades of improvement in conservation practices, valuable wildlife resources continue to be depleted or compromised.  Leopold's question remains relevant.  Is the price of progress worth the cost?  The solution to wildlife conservation problems lies in our understanding of how to maintain functional and productive ecosystems.

The Wildlife Conservation Research Center (WCRC) was created to find answers to critical wildlife conservation questions and to provide information about how to maintain diverse and healthy wildlife communities.