"There needs to be a response that matches the size of the crisis," says Lisa Pike Sheehy, Patagonia's Vice President of Environmental Activism, expressing the Ventura, California company's frustration with the daunting and mounting challenges facing the conservation and environmental communities. For many in those communities—or simply for those that care about wild landscapes, clean air and clean water—it's been a tough year.

As the saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. While its safe to assume that the old adage should be interpreted more figuratively than literally, you won’t be skinning anything unless your blade is sharp enough for the task. Most of us get by with blades that are just sharp enough to get the job done, and inevitably, we find ourselves woefully unprepared for a task that requires some precision.