When appointed in 2021 to the Washington State’s Fish and Wildlife Commission, Fred Koontz, PhD, sought to define of the word “conservation” to better capture what we mean by wildlife management in the modern era.

Yet crafting a modern definition generated a wave of hostility and resistance to the idea, which was seen as threatening the interests of the hunting, fishing, trapping, and agricultural communities. Eventually, Fred resigned, writing in his resignation letter that the Commission was "stuck in a politicized quagmire," having lost the ability to “have civil public conversations.”

Fred then helped lead a Society for Conservation Biology North America develop a new definition of the word "conservation", published in July 2026. The definition is intended to promote clarity, encourage dialogue, and help guide conservation practic ...