Calvin B. DeWittProfessor

Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Discovery about our Land and Life

We discovered that our rural town, which comes to us as a great gift that sustains our very lives, was seriously imperiled by human behavior.

We discovered that we were allowing the gradual degradation of human community and the living landscape on which everything depends..

We found that the costs of this degradation of land an life was becoming manifest throughout our town and surrounding region, and would adversely affect all generations to come.

We Responded with Deliberate Action:

We…Selected and elected new Town Board MembersConducted a thorough Cultural & Landscape

InventoryUsed what we found to establish a Dunn Land

Ethic

The INVENTORY we conducted was:

Of all of our assets, human and naturalCultural AssetsSoils --- Using the Soil Survey and Local

ExpertiseWetlands, Woodlands, Farmlands, StreamsInventory of Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates…

Of degradations and threats to land and community

Soil lossLoss of farmsDegradation of streams and wetlands…

Ten Components of the Dunn Land Ethic

We Responded with Deliberate Action:

We…Selected and elected new town board membersConducted a thorough inventoryUsed what we found to establish a Dunn Land

EthicAdopted a land stewardship plan by referendumAdopted a purchase-of-development rights (PDR)

programVoted to raise our own taxes to pay PDR costs

We Responded with Deliberate Action:

We…Selected and elected new town board membersConducted a thorough inventoryUsed what we found to establish a Dunn Land EthicAdopted a land stewardship plan by referendumAdopted a purchase-of-development rights (PDR)

programVoted to raise our own taxes to pay PDR costsProvided for continual & consistent enforcementProvided for annual law corrections to maintain justice

Following Through… …an Invitation for Action

We act promptly and carefully, without delay.We maintain a democratic process at every level to

lead our town toward responsible con-service.We follow through with enforcement, without

favors.We work to improve achievement of our land and

community stewardship goals annually.We provide to other communities information and

assistance in taking similar actions.We invite others across the continent, and around

the world to join us in these efforts.

We came to realize that all of us are in a continual, sustained, and interactive relationship with lives and the landscape.

This is a RECIPROCAL SERVICE between land and people---a kind of negotiation between “garden” and “gardener”--- a “CON-SERVICE” between people and the biosphere in which biospheric service to human beings and other life is returned with service of our own.

Living with Plants & Soils in Town and Biosphere

Key Elements of the Dunn Land Ethic

Establish and Nurture CommunityContinually Practice Con-Service

Embrace Citizens & the Biosphere with Diligence

Thank you…