OCSC MUCC Update | April 2026

Greetings, fellow club members. This month, I want to tell the story of the conservation pledge we recite at OCSC meetings and ask you some questions. As you know, at most formal OCSC meetings, we recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag and we recite the following Conservation Pledge:

I give my pledge as an American
to save and faithfully to defend from waste
the natural resources of my country—its air, soil, and minerals,
ts forests, waters, and wildlife.

It’s a profound statement that I’m proud to support. I hope to be an asset in pursuing its lofty goals.

The story of this pledge goes back to 1946 when Outdoor Life magazine announced a contest to create a conservation pledge that clubs all over the United States could adopt and rally around. The contest prize was $5,000 (which is over $70,000 in today’s dollars, according to Google AI). The pledge shown above was printed on the cover of the January 1947 issue of Outdoor Life (but
without the word “air,” which was added later).  In rapid succession and in line with the goal of the entire initiative, clubs all over the country adopted the pledge as their own, including Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club.

The winner was named L.L. Foreman, but interestingly, the person who came in second place was Rachel Carson, author of the landmark 1962 book, Silent Spring.

But let’s be honest . . . it’s a mouthful. And, if I’m really honest, it’s at least linguistically awkward if not outright grammatically incorrect. Maybe it’s more aligned with the way people spoke and wrote in 1947.

But guess what?

In 1993, the pledge was modified by Outdoor Life. It was simplified to the following:

I pledge to protect and conserve the natural resources of America.
I promise to educate future generations
so they may become caretakers
of our water, air, land, and wildlife.

There are now many clubs that have adopted this new pledge. OCSC has not. Has this been discussed in the past? What do you think of these pledges? Is one better than the other? Is a change to the newer pledge worthwhile?

Please let me know what you think.

Kind regards,
Dave Budnick OCSC rep to MUCC
(248) 978-3454
davebudnick@comcast.net
davebudnick.com