David Foreman

William David Foreman (October 18, 1946 – September 19, 2022) was an American advocate for the conservation of wild lands and wildlife. He was a co-founder of three organizations: Earth First!, the Wildlands Project, and the Rewilding Institute.^[2] A prominent member of the radical environmentalism movement beginning in the 1980s,^[3] his advocacy and actions shifted in the early 1990s into collaborations with professionals in the field of conservation biology.^[2]

Early life and education

William David Foreman was born on October 18, 1946, in

Between 1973 and 1980, he worked for The Wilderness Society as Southwest Regional Representative in New Mexico^[6] and the Director of Wilderness Affairs in Washington, D.C.^[7]

Earth First!

In April 1980, Foreman and friends Howie Wolke, Ron Kezar, Bart Koehler, and

By the late 1980s, Earth First! had split into two ideological factions; Foreman and others adhered to a biocentrist view characterized by "apocalyptic biodiversity" but were increasingly challenged by a "millenarianist social justice faction"^[11] influenced by the movement's Northern California-based members, including Roselle (who was based in Berkeley) and Judi Bari (of Mendocino County).^[12] After less than a decade, Foreman left Earth First!, disillusioned by the changing character of the organization.^[13] Foreman described himself "a redneck for the environment" and objected to the left-wing, social justice-oriented approach of younger environmental activists who had joined the group.^[1] Foreman and his wife, Nancy Morton, publicly split with Earth First! in 1990, writing in a letter at the time that the group had taken on an "overtly counterculture/anti-establishment style"^[1] influenced by the group's California wing.^[14] Roselle, in turn, denounced Foreman as "an unrepentant right-wing thug."^[14]

After leaving Earth First!

After leaving Earth First!, Foreman co-founded the Wildlands Network in 1991. The group aimed to establish a network of protected wilderness areas across North America.^[15] In 2003,^[10] Foreman later created a think tank, the Rewilding Institute.^[1] The New Mexico-based institute promoted policy proposals for long-term land conservation.^[1][10]

From 1996 to 1998, he served on the Sierra Club's board of directors, but departed after the organization rejected his proposed policy on restrictive immigration.^[16][8]

Controversy

In a 1986 interview, Foreman said the United States should not provide aid for the Ethiopia famine and hunger crisis, but rather, "let nature seek its own balance." He later clarified his position, stating, "I have serious doubts and nagging questions about conventional 'humanitarian' foreign aid responses to the increasing problem of famine in the Third World. That is what I was trying to get at in my comments on famine in Ethiopia. In my oft-quoted remark about famine in Ethiopia, however, I failed to clearly make this point. Indeed, I implied through my sloppy, off-the-cuff remark that famine was purely a biological question of too many people and too few resources, completely unrelated to social organization, economic exploitation, or international relations. I also implied that the best possible social response was for us to do nothing, offer no assistance of any kind, and to just let the hungry starve. I very much regret the way I phrased these comments. Standing by themselves, out of context, they sound truly cold hearted."^[17]

Foreman was criticized for his

Some of the goals of the Wildlands Network have been characterized as "lofty scientific ideals" since it could take 100 years to realize some outcomes. Its founders, including Foreman, replied that they "did not want to compete with existing conservation groups. They wanted to create a framework those groups could work within and a clearinghouse for information and science."[15]

Personal life and death

Foreman formerly lived in Tucson, Arizona.^[10] He married Debbie Sease in 1976; they subsequently divorced.^[1] He married Nancy Morton in 1986, and she died in 2021.^[1]

Foreman died in Albuquerque on September 19, 2022, from interstitial lung disease at the age of 75.^[1] He remained active in environmentalist causes until his death.^[10]

Bibliography

• Foreman, Dave (1991).
  ISBN 0-517-88058-X
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• Foreman, Dave (1992). The Big Outside: A Descriptive Inventory of the Big Wilderness Areas of the United States. Three Rivers Press.
  ISBN 978-0517587379
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• Foreman, Dave (2004). Rewilding North America: A Vision For Conservation In The 21St Century. Island Press.
  ISBN 9781559630610
  .
• Foreman, Dave (2004). The Lobo Outback Funeral Home: A Novel. Doug Peacock (Foreword). Bower House.
  ISBN 978-1555663391
  .
• Foreman, Dave (2011). Man Swarm and the Killing of Wildlife. Ravens Eye Press.
  ISBN 978-0981658476
  .
• Foreman, Dave (2012). Take Back Conservation. Ravens Eye Press.
  ISBN 978-0984005635
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• Foreman, Dave (2014). The Great Conservation Divide: Conservation vs. Resourcism on America's Public Lands. Ravens Eye Press.
  ISBN 9780990782612
  .
• Contributor to Cafaro, Philip; Crist, Eileen, eds. (2012). "The Great Backtrack". Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation. University of Georgia Press.
  ISBN 9780820343853
  .
• Foreman, Dave and Carroll, Laura (2015). Man Swarm: How Overpopulation is Killing the Wild World. LiveTrue Books. ISBN 978-0-9863832-0-5 ISBN 978-09863832-1-2.