“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.”
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Montana has many natural, public resource treasures to be in awe of - Jim Posewitz was one of our treasures.
Jim not only work as a public trustee with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks from 1961-1993, but as a dedicated conservation communicator, upon retiring, founded Orion, The Hunter's Institute, and was a member of or worked with numerous conservation groups across the state and nationally.
Jim passed away on the 3rd of July; my heart is heavy, he will be greatly missed.
I met Jim at a conservation meeting in 2012. I was asked to introduce myself, briefly explained my background with ancient historical and archaeology research. During the next break, Jim Posewitz walked over, a big grin on his face, extended his right hand to shake mine, then handed me 4 of his books he had written. I had met a kindred soul. We bonded over history and I became a conservation history student, of sorts, of Poz. His bredth and interconnectedness of knowledge, between history, conservation, politics, and science, was pure joy to me.
After I created my first editorial cartoon for the newsletter, to cathartically vent, Jim called, laughingly telling me I had been holding out on him. Jim loved editorial cartoons. There were a small handful of friends I would run my cartoons by, to polish them with suggestions, and Jim was a big one. I loved his sarcastic sense of humor, which editorial cartoons are a perfect vehicle for.
Jim explained the Public Trust Doctrine and North American Model of Wildlife conservation, which he wove into many a future conversation. Poz told me how he wasn't taught history or philosophy or ethics in college, while he was getting his degrees in Wildlife Management; subjects he said, were at the core of what he would do with the rest of his life. Looking to communicate his many conservation ideas, he was directed to a writing manual, which he used to communicate his conservation & ethics ideology in the many articles and books he wrote.
Posewitz wrote Beyond Fair Chase, Taking A Bullet For Conservation, Inherit The Hunt, Rifle In Hand, and his latest book, My Best Shot.
I asked Jim if I could video interview him, earlier this year, before all the COVID quarantining hit. Even as things were getting more difficult with his health, he still loved sharing his wealth of knowledge, his humor and passion.
I, and so many others Jim touched and taught, will greatly miss this giant of a man. May Poz continue to inspire us all.
"It has never been more important for individual conservationists in the state to step up, be heard, and take action. We must, in Tawney’s words, 'fight like hell to pass it on to the next generation.'
We can’t squander the legacy of the giants who came before us. And we must make sure we elect men and women who understand that legacy and embrace it."
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Jim Bailey, of the Montana Wild Bison Restoration Coalition, recently sent out this newsletter.
"Hello, First and foremost, this is to inform you that our friend in wildlife conservation, Jim Posewitz passed on to his happy hunting ground on July 3. It is a great loss to the communities of wildlife conservation, hunters and all. Jim was a leader in wildlife management and for responsible conservation ethics during his career with Montana Fish & Game, now Fish, Wildlife & Parks. In retirement, he founded Orion the Hunters Institute and wrote several books on hunters’ ethics. He challenged us all to accept our mutual public-trust responsibilities for the wildlife resource, including its foundations in the land. We miss him sorely.
A few months ago, the Montana Wild Bison Restoration Coalition took some video of Jim speaking about the history of Montana wildlife conservation and about his support for restoring public-trust wild bison in Montana. We intended to produce another video, featuring Jim, for informing the public of issues related to bison restoration. But the project was put on hold for lack of funds. Now, we want to complete the project, making it broadly available, as another tribute to Jim.
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