Fish & Wildlife Service—National Conservation Training Center
Conservation and Community Public Lecture Series
Speaking with Case Hicks
Speakers:
Mark Madison
Case Hicks
[audio start]
Mark: Hi, I’m Mark Madison at the National Conservation Training Center. It’s July 2nd, 2009, and we are here with Case Hicks, who’s a President Theodore Roosevelt re-enactor, impersonator. And he is out here for our first annual Student Conservation and Climate Congress. Welcome Case. We’re so glad you could come out.
Case: It’s an honor to be here. Always a privilege to work with young people. We’re here to inspire their curiosity and to provoke their wonderment so that they see the outdoors and enjoy it.
Mark: One of the things is that the Theodore Roosevelt impersonation was very popular among the students, and I wonder Case, what connections you might see between this particular Congress and Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy?
Case: You know it’s interesting that we’re here with a group of young people that have an unusual diversity. We looked back in reflection to the 1908 Governor’s Conference as sponsored by Gifford Pinchot, of course. And we were also able to point out to the young people that there’s really a diversity of people that are involved inn conservation. We went ahead and used the example of President Abraham Lincoln’s personal cabinet, as the president, since they were such a group of rivals, and they all worked together toward the same end.
Mark: What do you think Roosevelt’s conservation legacy is? What did he do for the American conservation movement, for people that might not be as familiar with his background as you.
Case: The biggest, the most vital point, I think, is the identity of America as being a natural wonder, and the fact that we have a heritage with this country and that we have a legacy to protect. And also that we are not only living in our moment, in our sojourns, but we’re looking forward to the lives of those that come after. And he was adamant that we not squander that opportunity to hand them this wonderful gift.
Mark: I’ve had the very wonderful fortune of seeing you at a number of wildlife refuges, and other conferences we’ve had out here. How did you become interested in TR and re-enacting?
Case: This is a very personal story. When I was a very small child ...
[audio end]
