An Agrarian Reformer in Doug Tompkins’ Court
September 4, 2026
Wendell Berry, Kentucky farmer and writer, August 5, 1934 to August 31, 2026
Perhaps more than any other sustainable farming proponent, Wendell Berry influenced and strengthened the conservation movement. Wendell Berry, as small farm champion, and Dave Foreman, as big wilderness champion, were colleagues who often disagreed but always respected each other, often interacting at events hosted by wildlands philanthropist Doug Tompkins. At one Foundation for Deep Ecology event where Wendell was present but Dave was not, Wendell said to me, with his endearing Southern gentleman’s drawl, “How’s Dave? Please give him my regards and remind him he’s wrong…” Wendell also had a friendly, sparring relationship with iconoclastic writer Ed Abbey, who himself was a great inspiration to several generations of conservation leaders.
Wendell’s essay in Wild Earth magazine, “Conservation is Good Work” was an eloquent plea for Nature-friendly practices on managed forest lands and farms, as a complement to protected natural areas. Wendell’s poem The Peace of Wild Things has given solace to countless a wildlands activist, “When despair for the world grows in me.”
What is an activist to do, when political forces seem dead-set against wild forests? My mother, old-growth forest researcher Mary Byrd Davis, asked Wendell at an environmental conference long ago. Wendell’s answer then seemed simplistic to my young ears, but has since grown to seem timelessly wise: Just get in there and thrash about!
Wendell, thank you for staying in there and thrashing about so powerfully, so gracefully, for so long.
Photo by Guy Mendes / Wikimedia Commons
John works as the rewilding advocate for the Adirondack Council, a member-supported group defending the ecological integrity and wild character of New York’s great Adirondack Park. He is also on the board of directors for RESTORE: The North Woods, Eddy Foundation, and Algonquin to Adirondack Conservation Collaborative. John previously was editor of Wild Earth, worked for the Foundation for Deep Ecology, and succeeded Dave Foreman as executive director of the Rewilding Institute. He continues to participate as advisor, scout, editor, interviewer, and writer.