The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania - Clifford L. Jones: The Conservationist Next Door

Clifford L. Jones, was a former Secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources, Department of Commerce, and Department of Labor and Industry under several of Pennsylvania’s governors.

He also provided leadership to a number of statewide organizations, including Pennsylvania Wild Resources Conservation Fund, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association.

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"Someone has got to be responsible for the animals and birds, and the invertebrates, which are not covered by law in Pennsylvania. Somehow someone must put into law the protection of the invertebrates, making someone responsible for them. All the other life forms in Pennsylvania depend on them."

— Clifford L. Jones

Successful conservation occurs at various levels – individual and organizational, amateur and professional – to impact the long-term sustainability of Pennsylvania.

Through conversations with The Conservationist Next Door, we’re seeing how private, government and professional conservationists are making an impact on the state. Clifford L. Jones, a long-time friend and past trustee of The Nature Conservancy, was one of those individuals who made a tremendous contribution to Pennsylvania conservation until his passing on May 6, 2008.

In the following interview from March 2008, Cliff shared his views on the past and future of conservation in Pennsylvania – based on his more than four decades of conservation and public service.

nature.org: nature.org: What sparked your interest in conservation?

Clifford L. Jones: I was a scrawny kid, 9, 10, 11 years old, not much good at sports. My Aunt Mabel instilled a love of wildlife in me. She bought me a very inexpensive pair of binoculars. And because she had a car she could take me to Pymatuning Reservoir, which was filled with ducks and geese. I can remember taking along my bird book, which she also bought for me, and identifying the birds. I also remember spending a lot of time in the woods, where I could be alone and enjoy wildlife.

Although I loved birding, I got away from it for awhile. In high school, and in college, it was considered a sissy thing to do. But after I came back from the service (U.S. Army in Korea), the whole issue of birding came back for me. Many, many vacations and trips since have focused on the birds.

nature.org: Your birding trips in 55 countries yielded sightings of about 3,800 of Earth’s 9,000 avian species and certainly helped shape your conservation interests. Did your interest in birding also influence your career?

Clifford L. Jones: When I got into government I was working with Maurice Broun (the first warden and curator of Hawk Mountain). I was his “behind the scenes” man in Harrisburg. With Glenn Bowers (former executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission), we pieced together, bit by bit, two hawk protection laws. We even sneaked in, and it amazed me, protection for the horned owl.

nature.org: How strong is conservation in Pennsylvania today?

Clifford L. Jones: Essentially the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Game Commission, and organizations like the Conservancy, are preserving a lot of land, and that includes easements. I see a number of very active groups trying to do something positive for conservation in Pennsylvania.

The biggest problem I see at the moment: we preserve a lot of our land, but two of our biggest resource agencies – the Game Commission, and the Fish and Boat Commission – lack funding to do a lot of the work that’s needed. And they’re going to continue to have a hard time getting increases in their hunting and fishing license fees, which provide so much of their funding.

nature.org: So then what outlook do you hold for Pennsylvania’s conservation future?

Clifford L. Jones: I’m very positive about it. Thank God that we have active groups that are trying to preserve species and land. They’re not only encouraging the general public, they’ve done a darn good job of educating the public.

nature.org: What are some conservation issues that worry you?

Clifford L. Jones: Someone has got to be responsible for the animals and birds, and the invertebrates, which are not covered by law in Pennsylvania. Somehow someone must put into law the protection of the invertebrates, making someone responsible for them. All the other life forms in Pennsylvania depend on them.

Someone needs to tell people that invertebrates need protection and why they should be protected. It’s an educational role. The invertebrates need to find their constituency.

nature.org: Protection of invertebrates has been challenging for conservation because many people don’t recognize the contribution to the larger ecosystem or are concerned about liability around critical habitats, such as caves, that may be the only place in the world where a particular species can be found. This is an area in which the Conservancy and partners are beginning to work with public and private landowners to identify the most important cave systems and take actions to preserve them.

Certainly there are many challenges ahead, and conservation efforts have made tremendous progress over the years. What do you see as the Conservancy’s greatest impact in Pennsylvania??

Clifford L. Jones: We’re seeing the maturation of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. The organization is all across Pennsylvania, broadened from its previous self. That brought the Conservancy into a statewide role, working with the other statewide agencies. And now it’s taking a lot of next steps.

nature.org: What is your favorite site of the Conservancy in Pennsylvania?

Clifford L. Jones: I’ve visited a number of the sites, but usually on a one-time basis, other than (Senior Project Manager Ralph) Bud Cook’s sites in the Poconos. I still have a soft spot in my heart for what he does. But generally I find myself drawn to sites in Pennsylvania that have a birding venue, like Middle Creek, Tinicum Marsh, Muddy Run, Haldeman Island.

Many of the Conservancy’s sites are difficult to visit. It’s a wonderful thing that the Conservancy is preserving them, but it’s often awkward to get to them. And in some instances, public access should be limited because of rare species such as bog turtles and rare plants that could be further threatened by too much activity.

But I believe in anything that helps in the preservation of land, regardless of how accessible.

nature.org: That is a difficult challenge for conservationists who love the outdoors, but also value the need to not “over” love it so much that we negatively impact the things we’re trying to preserve. Preserves that are open to the public can be found at Places We Protect.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Charles DeCurtis / TNC (Snow geese soar over protected lands in Middle Creek); Photo © TNC (Clifford L. Jones); Photo © Terry Spivey, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org (Great Horned Owl).