Heritage conservation draws on the wisdom and experiences of past generations to inspire decisions by the present generation that will provide the best quality of life for the next seven generations.

The idea that we need to think beyond ourselves is not new.  About 500 years ago, the Iroquois adopted their Great Binding Law, sometimes referred to as the “Iroquois Constitution.”  It directed those who would be leaders to “look and listen for the welfare of the whole people, and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations."  (You can read the Great Binding Law of the Iroquois at http://www.indigenouspeople.net/iroqcon.htm.)  Early in the last century, Gifford Pinchot, Pennsylvania governor, friend of Theodore Roosevelt and first chief of the U. S. Forest Service, defined conservation as doing “the greatest good to the greatest number for the longest time . . . thus recognizing that this nation of ours must be made to endure as the best possible home for all its people.”  (You can read more about Pinchot’s ideas in his book, The Fight for Conservation, 1910, available at Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11238/11238-h/11238-h.htm#2HCH6.)

At StoryTrax, we encourage heritage conservation through the sharing of stories (our wisdom and experiences expressed as narratives) and by presenting opportunities to support heritage conservation activities across America.