Who has contributed to conservation historically? How did the first conservation organizations get started? Can a person who is an avid environmentalist still be a hunter? May we learn about old ways in which the flora and fauna that exist today were preserved by those who harvested from the Earth. As time goes on, we set aside our differences to form a unified band of individuals that stand together to protect our public lands and the wildlife that lives on them.

I grew up in the metropolis of Adrian, Oregon—if you can call it that. I spent my entire childhood in the same house, gazing out my...