Remembering that Father Tree Even More Now
October 2, 2026
Photo courtesy Fin & Fur Films
When Rewilding founder Dave Foreman passed away four years ago, we knew we were losing a giant among wilderness leaders, as well as a dear friend. We may have underestimated, though, how much we would miss his strategic brilliance in these parlous days.
As a long-time follower of Dave Foreman, I’ve heeded his words for most of my career — but maybe even more so now than before he passed. I keep wondering, what would Dave do? I have some suspicions on this.
With artificial intelligence and unbridled narcissism dominating mainstream news, Dave would remind us: Industrial civilization is probably irredeemable. Our job as conservationists is not to reform civilization but to save every possible wild place and wild species — the building blocks of evolution and the seeds of restoration.
With the Roadless Rule under attack from the narcissists in power, Dave would have reminded us that the uncharacteristically bold Clinton decision 25 years ago to protect roadless areas on National Forests resulted from one of the most effective grassroots campaigns — and represents one of the biggest conservation gains in recent decades. He would be appalled by its undoing.
Dave would say we must fight like hell to save all remaining road-free areas and start closing unneeded roads in the backcountry. (He actually believed in writing advocacy letters.) Dave’s fellow Earth First! co-founders Howie Wolke and Bart Koehler are still saying that today (see Howie’s essay “We Need Big, Holistic Wilderness“).
Photo by Howie Wolke
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.