I couldn’t let the moment pass without marking the fact that this is this blog’s 6000th post.
And, with all respect to Paul Leyland and the marvellous image with interesting words coming up here at 6pm, I did want a landmark post to be written by me.
From the very first blog post, which rather set the tone, and the very first guest blog announcing my ‘death’ (whatever happened to Mr White and Reservoir Cats?) it has been a wonderful journey – and still is.
Several books, several e-petitions, several legal challenges, several Hen Harrier days and 5,999 posts later I’m still standing and so is this Standing up for Nature blog. And this week I launched Wild Justice with two people who have been walking similar journeys and walking closer and closer together as the years have passed. Now, at least in Wild Justice, we are walking in step.
I can’t imagine that there is anyone out there who read all 6000 blog posts which have appeared here – does anyone claim they have? But I’m sure there are quite a few who have read more than half of them – what stamina!
But there might be a person or two for whom this post, this 6000th post, is the first here that they have encountered. To you – welcome! If you are interested in environmental issues, particularly those concerning wildlife, and most particularly those concerning UK wildlife, then you might want to join us for the second 6000 posts here.
So grateful for all you do! X
My only regret is I didn’t find this blog sooner, it’s been such a great pressure valve re getting everything off my chest from the lack of public education on the conservation value of dead wood to the amount of land intensively farmed to provide feed for pheasant and partridge not being taken into account before claims are made that game shooting is good for wildlife. Where else could I or anybody have the opportunity to make comments in a forum that has so much clout? The amount of effort and time this page takes up must be phenomenal – that’s intimidating and humbling. Thanks Mark!
How very true those words are.
And to say(earlier) that the response to the launch of Wild Justice is amazing, well, maybe to you three it is, but for all us out here it’s not. This is so the right time.
How many of us pay our dues to NGOs that we feel don’t really represent us? How many of us hope that certain bodies that we support will do the right thing only to be let down?
I stopped my regular payment (on top of being a life member) to LACS because they didn’t support your petition Les, and because the couldn’t be bothered to tell Mark and Ruth that they recently held a DGS demonstration in London.
If nobody is willing to stand up and be counted, or work together dispite some differences, how are we ever to progress.
Well, the Walk for Wildlife said we can progress, and Wild Justice says we will.
I now have, at last, something I can support that will do what I believe in. Something that will truly progress the aims that I agree with. Obviously, there are many out there that feel the same.
It’s taken 6000 blogs to get to this point and to the first Wild Justice newsletter. I really don’t think it will take many more to get the results we need.
Thank you. All three of you.
Well said! Things do seem to be reaching a critical mass, and yes the NGOs aren’t doing what they should, and Mark, Ruth and Chris shouldn’t have to be taking so much on, but thankfully they are. It’s only because of LACS Scotland that I haven’t cancelled my LACS membership, a lot of people had to make an extra effort because they didn’t support the petition, I’m furious about that.