Did you know the story of Smokey Bear really happened? In 1950, an American black bear cub was found after a particularly bad wildfire in a national forest. A few years later, this bear became the “poster bear” for a campaign to bring awareness of fire safety. His slogan “Only you can prevent forest fires” became well know through television advertisements and posters. Now every state park in Indiana has a Smokey Bear sign showing the fire danger level. This campaign brought with it a renewed interest in forest preservation.

The National Historic Preservation Act was passed in 1966. This act established preservation policies for many historical treasures, not the least of which was the forest systems. One of the practices involved leaving nature to it’s own devices. Rules were established, which included no firewood could be harvested from the forests. Trees were left to rot and fall, according to the natural order or nature. Fires were thought of as very bad. Nature was left alone to grow and develop. However, there is a slight problem with these practices. Human introduced non-native species into the ecosystem, many of which are invasive.

With the introduction of invasive species of plant and animals, many native species are being choked out. If left to the practices of letting nature take it’s course, the native species would be wiped out, and the biodiversity rating of the land would plummet. Groups like the National Wildlife Federation call for wildlife conservation to protect diverse species from extinction. They also offer opportunities to learn how the public can help with conservation.

However, according to the National Park Service, “Conservation seeks the proper use of nature, while preservation seeks protection of nature from use.” To save the biodiversity in the area, a marriage between these two disciplines will need to happen. In essence, to preserves the native species of the area, a controlled and targeted conservation effort will have to be implemented to ensure the proper environment for the native species to thrive.

Many areas are predicated on natural routine disturbances like fires and windstorms that help sustain the natural ecosystem.

“If we leave the land to it’s own devices, there are so many invasive plant species right now that would invade quickly and degrade the natural areas to the point where it is no longer a significant representation of that natural area that was originally protected for,” says CTIC Project Director Chad Watts.

“Wetlands helped control flooding and acted like a buffer. They were like a big bowl where excess water could flood in real fast, then seep out very slowly,” says Jake Shapley, Tippecanoe River State Park Assistant Manager.