Every time I read that 1 million people in the UK are members of conservation organisations (e.g. Birds Magazine, Summer 1994) I am disappointed. Obviously the National Trust (2.2 million members) is not counted as one. Why not? The assumption seems to be that it is not possible for one body to run historic houses and conserve nature. The Trust often publishes its land-ownership statistics (currently 238,989ha) and it is known that many members join because they like coastal footpaths and the countryside, so isn't there a link between, for example, the Trust's 880km of coast, beautiful countryside and wildlife.