Does everything really need a price tag? Exploring the real value of our parks | Episode 85

What’s the ROI of a prairie? A bat you’ll never see? A fence line removed to stitch habitat back together?

In this episode, Chris and Jeremy dig into a pressure most parks and conservation leaders feel right now: the growing expectation to put a dollar value on everything—habitat work, land protection, restoration, even species existence. There’s usefulness in ecosystem services and economic arguments… but there are also real limitations (and risks) when money becomes the only language we speak.

Discussion points:

• Why “ecosystem services” keeps showing up in conservation conversations—and hiring interviews
• The core tension: Does nature need to serve humans to be worth protecting?
• A real-world example: wind energy vs. endangered bats—and how messy “value” gets in practice
• The bald eagle recovery story (and the Rachel Carson backlash) as a reminder that this debate isn’t new
• What we lose when a species disappears: the hidden ecological relationships we don’t even understand yet (passenger pigeon + oak savannas)
• A better approach than arguing abstract philosophy: local knowledge + relentless storytelling
• Why good stewardship starts with intimate knowledge of place—and using your community’s “amateur experts” (birders, herpers, photographers, banders)
• The Hitchcock/Loess Hills example: removing fence lines to reconnect prairies isn’t just a “project”—it’s landscape-scale restoration people can see
• Bringing it full circle: you may still need to write grants and justify budgets, but the deeper case is about connection, continuity, and responsibility

Join the Next Level Leadership Community at ParksandRestoration.com for invites to upcoming live virtual meetups including:

• Dr. Kathleen Allen, author of Leading from the Roots
• Dr. Nick Askew, UK-based host of the Conservation Careers podcast that explores wildlife conservation internationally.

About Parks and Restoration

Parks and Restoration is the podcast for parks and conservation professionals who want to lead better—building strong teams, healthier cultures, and thriving public lands. Hosted by Chris Lee (Des Moines County Conservation) and Jeremy Yost (Pottawattamie County Conservation).