I agree with your sentiments, I tend to use the word "conservationist" when describing myself. I learned most of my conservation ideals from my father and from the Boy Scouts. The stances that the wacko environmentalist take are almost always on the extreme and the one thing they always misunderestimate (that was done on purpose) is that mother nature is a powerful b@*&$. This should not stop us from being responsible to the environment but we are a minor blip in the the grand scheme of things.
Thanks for your reply. I'll go with "conservationist" (sounds a lot like "conservative") and see if that helps. I cringe when I hear the right talk about "envirowackos", though I understand what they're talking about. Just because the ELF or EarthFirst crowd are nuts or some in the other groups are corrupt and/or stupid, does not mean that the entire concept of conservation is worthless. That is like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.