With the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey and expectation that Hurricane Irma will soon bring similar images to our screens,…
How should environmentalists measure virtue?
An old criticism of socialism is that it measures virtue by how generous someone is with other people’s money. Many…
The Takings Clause can protect conservation, if there’s a market for environmental benefits
On July 20th, federal agents invaded the National Butterfly Center’s property, unannounced and without permission, and began to rip through…
Can “perpetual” conservation easements be updated to changing circumstances?
Conservation easements are an increasingly important tool for protecting the environment. Roughly 24 million acres in the United States are…
The inevitable overregulation and overcriminalization of environmental law
A four-year battle between the federal government and Duarte Nursery over the farm’s plowing of a field to plant wheat—for…
Can property rights fight forest fires and facilitate conservation?
Forests have long been hotspots (pardon the pun) for environmental conflict because so much of their use is determined politically.…
Are higher entrance fees the fix for overcrowded national parks?
Last year, the National Park Service’s centennial, saw a record number of people visiting national parks in the U.S. The…
Will capitalism save the rhino?
Rhinos have been hunted to the verge of extinction because of their valuable horns. Most governments have responded, as they…
Endangered species depend on private land for habitat, so why treat landowners as the enemy?
Designating uninhabitable private land as “critical habitat” discourages private conservation with no compensating benefit for species.
The boy who cried wolf grew up to be an environmental alarmist
Environmental alarmists may grab headlines, but they’ve repeatedly proven spectacularly wrong. Environmental issues require sober analysis and problem solving, not overheated rhetoric.
FREEcology 