TRCP News

1. Sportsmen Support Recommendations for Responsible Energy Development
   
2. ‘Conservation’ Survives in the Conservation Reserve Program
3. Sportsmen Decry Colorado Roadless Plan
4. Sportsmen Concerned Over Vulnerability of Nation’s Wetlands and Waters
5. TRCP’s Riley Honored by WAFWA
6. Study Examines the Effects of Lead in Ammunition and Tackle on Natural Resources
7. Great Outdoor Festival Returns to Wisconsin
   

1. Sportsmen Support Recommendations for Responsible Energy Development
   
   

   As the public’s concern about gas prices has fanned the flames of debate over domestic drilling in recent months, it is critical – now more than ever – that energy development on our public lands happens in a way that conserves fish and wildlife and the traditions of hunting and fishing. Sustaining healthy fish and wildlife populations and extracting oil and gas are not mutually exclusive, but this balance is not currently being achieved.

   Sign the Bill of Rights.

   Twenty-six million acres of public lands, an area the size of Ohio, already have been leased by the Bureau of Land Management in the five Rocky Mountain states (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming), and one estimate predicts 126,000 new wells in the next 10 years. Plainly, oil and gas development will occur on our public lands for decades to come. The questions for American sportsmen, however, are fundamental: Will this development be pursued responsibly? Or will our fish, wildlife and hunting and fishing opportunities be incontrovertibly degraded for generations to come?

   A new alliance of sportsmen is stepping up to broker a solution. Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development (SFRED) grew from a need for a coordinated response from hunters and anglers to the unprecedented loss of habitat due to oil and gas development. A coalition of sportsmen's groups, businesses and individuals led by the TRCP, the National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited, SFRED is working to implement balanced, common-sense approaches to energy production on our public lands.

   A cornerstone of the alliance, the SFRED Bill of Rights, is a 10-point statement that identifies needs and desires of sportsmen regarding public-lands energy development. These “rights” would allow sportsmen to enjoy public lands for hunting and fishing now and for generations to come. Sportsmen recognize that our country needs energy but are unwilling to sacrifice the future of fish and wildlife resources in a short-sighted attempt to address a long-term solution to our energy situation. Public lands can be developed and vital fish and game habitat can be protected simultaneously – if all values are recognized as important and plans are made to ensure their viability.

   TRCP energy team members tour a drilling site in the San Juan basin.

   On July 21, the coalition released the Recommendations for Responsible Oil and Gas Development. A plan that outlines how to strike a balance between conservation and development in the West, the recommendations compile the work of lead organizations, the best-available information and science, experience and the fruits of SFRED’s May 2008 symposium, which convened expert land managers, scientists and planners in Wyoming to address issues and strategies for implementing responsible energy development. The new report details how oil and gas development can provide for our energy needs without sacrificing our sporting heritage.

   Concurrent with the report’s release, TRCP Energy Initiative Manager Steve Belinda, TRCP Field Representative Dwayne Meadows and other personnel from the lead organizations traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and promote the SFRED coalition. The sportsmen voiced their support of balanced development of America’s energy resources and affirmed that the SFRED recommendations offer a plan for policy reform during a time when vast tracks of Western lands are being affected by development.

   “Decisions being made today in Washington will affect how our federal public lands are managed for decades to come,” said Meadows, who came to Washington from his home in Laramie, Wyo. “Western sportsmen have a huge stake in how energy development proceeds in our backyards, and we were pleased to have this opportunity to take our concerns directly to the nation’s top decision makers.

   “Hunters and anglers must join together to help ensure that fish, wildlife and water resources are sustained on our public lands,” Meadows continued. “The SFRED recommendations, the Bill of Rights and TRCP’s FACTS for Fish and Wildlife present a logical, local solution to the energy development dilemma.”

   Learn more about SFRED on their Web site, sportsmen4responsibleenergy.org.

   The sportsmen delivered a pointed message to Congress and staff of both presidential candidates: “The model is broken” in developing energy on our public lands. America’s current energy approach fails the needs of fish and wildlife and our rich sporting traditions. Many threats to these traditions exist, but the loss of habitat – the places where we hunt, fish and recreate – is the most pressing. Our economy cannot depend on short-term, short-sighted industrial exploitation. If energy resources are developed responsibly, hunting and fishing can remain a robust and renewable resource, stimulating local economies into the long-term future.

   By showing their support of groups like the TRCP and the SFRED alliance, sportsmen will know that they helped uphold a crucial part of America’s national identity. Sign up to support the SFRED campaign and help ensure that our hunting and fishing heritage is sustained for the next generation to enjoy.

   Join Hunters and Anglers for Responsible Development to stay up to date on energy development on our public lands.

   
   
   
   

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2. ‘Conservation’ Survives in the Conservation Reserve Program
   

   Populations of game birds like pheasants have expanded along with CRP.

The TRCP applauded the recent decision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to uphold Conservation Reserve Program contracts and not allow landowners enrolled in the program to break those contracts without payment of the prescribed penalty for doing so. 

“We are very pleased that the USDA has once again acknowledged the benefits of this country’s largest and most successful conservation program,” said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper.  “At a time when market forces are making it tough for CRP to compete, this is the right decision to encourage landowners to keep their environmentally sensitive land in conservation." 

CRP is a voluntary program in which landowners can enroll for a period of 10-15 years and receive annual payments in return for establishing approved ground cover beneficial to native wildlife populations.  Through CRP, farmers and ranchers are making a real difference in the protection and enhancement of the environment by helping:

• restore 2 million acres of wetlands and adjacent buffers;
• restore more than 8 million acres of valuable grassland and forest habitats;
• reduce soil erosion by more than 40 percent;
• protect 170,000 miles of streams;
• sequester 48 million tons of carbon dioxide to help fight global warming;
• produce 13.5 million pheasants each year; and
• support 2.2 million ducks per year in the Prairie Pothole Region.

The future of this tremendously valuable program is not certain. While CRP creates economic benefits (in 2006 sportsmen contributed $120 million to rural communities), in recent years the high demand for other agricultural land uses and the accompanying higher monetary returns for such production have dwarfed the payment structure of CRP – making it difficult for the program to compete in today’s economy. If we are going to continue reaping the benefits of CRP, we must make it an economically viable option for landowners.

“This program has too many important benefits to our society for us not to work toward modernizing the rental rates and making them more competitive in today’s marketplace,” said Geoff Mullins, farm policy initiative manager for the TRCP.  “The decision by USDA to uphold the terms of existing contracts is an important step in the right direction and hunters, anglers, and conservationists from all corners of this country look forward to working with policymakers to ensure CRP can move forward -- not backward.”

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3. Sportsmen Decry Colorado Roadless Plan



Following the federal release of a management plan for Colorado’s national forest roadless areas, sportsmen are sharply criticizing elements of the plan that could negatively affect fish and game habitat, decrease hunting and fishing opportunities and drastically change how backcountry areas are administered across the state. And the TRCP needs you to ask Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter to intervene on behalf of the state’s hunters, anglers, and fish and wildlife to correct or suspend the Colorado roadless plan.

The posting on Aug. 1 of the draft environmental impact statement to the federal register continues a process initiated in April 2007, when Gov. Ritter submitted a roadless petition to promulgate a federal rulemaking process by the state of Colorado and the U.S. Forest Service. Colorado’s 4.4 million acres of backcountry currently are managed under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which guides administration of America’s 58 million acres of backcountry. Under this rule, countless fish and wildlife species are flourishing, and hunting, fishing, camping and hiking are bringing much-needed dollars to local economies.

Photo credit: Laura Meadows

“The federal government is targeting the very places that Coloradans depend on for high-quality hunting and fishing,” said TRCP Roadless Initiative Manager Joel Webster. “Governor Ritter asked for a roadless rule that is ‘93-95 percent’ consistent with current roadless protections, yet what the federal government delivered substantially weakens those guidelines. The governor must intervene on behalf of the state’s residents and fish, wildlife and backcountry to fix or suspend this problematic management plan.”


Troubling elements of the draft Colorado plan include the following:

• new miles of road built annually in the backcountry would increase by nearly 400 percent over current annual construction levels;
• the spread of invasive weeds could grow by 1,000 percent annually;
• road building for oil and gas development would be permitted in more than 57,000 acres of backcountry hunting and fishing areas;
• roadless areas would be opened to utility corridors (power lines) and water conveyance structures (water projects other than dams).

“Federal decision makers failed to address the concerns of Governor Ritter and Colorado sportsmen,” continued Webster. “Not only is the proposed rule rushed, it is disturbingly vague. It sets the stage to develop important backcountry areas that are currently being conserved.”



If the Colorado rule is finalized as currently proposed, places like the HD Mountains in the San Juan National Forest, Mamm Peak in the White River National Forest, and Clear Creek in the Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest could be changed forever. These areas have been prized by sportsmen in Colorado for decades.

“Even a cursory review of the draft plan reveals inconsistencies that could result in confusion and abuse,” said TRCP Field Representative Jason Sorter, a third-generation Coloradan and avid hunter and angler. “Given that we are deciding the fate of 4.4 million acres of public lands, it makes sense to slow down and avoid mistakes. By acting now, Governor Ritter can ensure that Colorado’s backcountry traditions have a secure future.”

Colorado has more elk and mule deer than any other state in the country and is one of the only states to offer over-the-counter elk tags to nonresidents. This abundance of wildlife is due in large part to the state’s national forest roadless backcountry – places that provide secure habitat for big-game animals and quality spawning habitat for wild trout. These areas make it hard to find a finer place than Colorado to experience America’s sporting heritage. TRCP needs your help to keep it that way.

Sportsmen must contact Gov. Ritter and ask him to ensure that roadless areas in Colorado are conserved in a way that is consistent with current regulations.

Visit the TRCP Web site to learn more about the Proposed Colorado Rule and voice your opinion on the plan to the governor. Listen to the TRCP radio spot.

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4. Sportsmen Concerned Over Vulnerability of Nation’s Wetlands and Waters

 

www.wearewetlands.org.

As part of our continuing “We Are Wetlands” grassroots education campaign, the TRCP will convene hunters, anglers and conservation activists from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee on Aug. 8 to discuss the growing threat to our nation’s wetlands and clean water. Themes will include working to restore federal protections that have been lost and ways to educate more Americans on this issue.

“The TRCP campaign seeks to illustrate that the health of our wetlands and clean water is important not only to sportsmen, but to all Americans,” said TRCP Wetlands Initiative Manager Geoff Mullins. “We are all affected by wetlands through the host of functions and benefits they provide: clean drinking water, flood control, erosion control, fish and wildlife habitat and outdoor recreational opportunities, just to name a few.”

Two Supreme Court decisions in recent years have reduced many of the federal protections for wetlands under the Clean Water Act that had been in place for more than 30 years. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that roughly 20 million acres of wetlands and streams that were once protected from pollution are now vulnerable due to these court decisions.

The TRCP is educating citizens and building activist teams within each state up and down the Mississippi River and in the Dakotas since the April launch “We Are Wetlands." The coalition is seeking 80,000 signatures – one for every acre of natural wetlands that will be lost this year – on a petition to federal policymakers requesting that they restore wetlands protections to preserve these vital ecosystems.

For details on the “We Are Wetlands” campaign and to sign the petition, please visit www.wearewetlands.org.

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5. TRCP’s Riley Honored


Jeff Vonk, right, presents Terry Riley, left, with his Honory Lifetime Member Aaward.

Dr. Terry Z. Riley, TRCP vice president of policy, was the recipient of this year’s Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Honorary Lifetime Member Award. WAFWA president Jeff Vonk presented the award to Riley at the organization's awards banquet, which was held in Rapid City, S.D., at the organization’s annual conference.

“I want to extend our collective thanks and appreciation for the myriad of contributions you have made to fish and wildlife resources in the West,” wrote Vonk in a letter or congratulations.

WAFWA represents 23 states and Canadian provinces, spanning from Alaska to Texas and Saskatchewan to Hawaii - an area covering nearly 3.7 million square miles of some of North America's most wild and scenic country, inhabited by more than 1,500 wildlife species. The organization strongly advocates for the rights of states and provinces to manage fish and wildlife within their borders. WAFWA is a key proponent of the principles of sound resource management and the building of partnerships at the regional, national and international levels in order to enhance wildlife conservation efforts and the protection of associated habitats in the public interest.

"For Terry to be selected as the recipient of this award is a great honor," said George Cooper, TRCP President and CEO. "It is also a wonderful acknowledgment of the work he has done - and continues to do - for fish, wildlife and conservation."

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6. Study Examines the Effects of Lead in Ammunition and Tackle on Natural Resources



Fishing weights and line found in a trumpeter swan gizzard. Photo courtesy: USGS

The Wildlife Society and American Fisheries Society recently compiled a technical review on the effects of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle on natural resources. This review will help shape position statements of those societies on the continued use of lead for hunting, shooting sports and fishing.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released an interview last month focusing on this topic. Sarah Gerould, program coordinator for contaminant biology at the USGS, spoke with Dr. Barnett Rattner, of the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md. Barnett co-authored the report and has been researching this issue for many years.

The interview delves into the history of lead in ammunition and tackle, the effects it has on fish and wildlife, alternatives to lead ammunition and tackle, how and where use is being regulated and the need for further research.

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript.





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7. Great Outdoors Festival Returns to Wisconsin





The 10th Annual Great Outdoors Festival is set to take place in Oshkosh, Wis., Friday, Aug. 22 through Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. The Great Outdoors Festival is made up of nine villages, each filled with activities, seminars, demonstrations and exhibitions of industry related products. From fly fishing clinics and retriever dog demonstrations to shooting sports and archery, outdoor enthusiasts can participate in dozens of hands-on sporting activities. Novice to experienced sportsmen can try the latest sporting products in real-life conditions and receive coaching from skilled professionals.

Buy your ticket online or visit the Web site for more information..

 






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A big thanks to everyone who sent in an answers to last month's T.R.ivia question. Congratulations go to our May winner, Danny McClung. Danny was the first person to correctly identify the species taken by T.R. that held the number one spot in the B&C record book into the 1960s as the cougar. The cat was shot near Meeker, Colo., in 1901, scoring 15 12/16 and weighing 217 pounds. We are sending Danny a copy of Historic Images of Theodore Roosevelt for his winning efforts. Congratulations, Danny.

Email your answer to this month's question to bblodgett@trcp.org for your chance to win.

Updates from TRCP Partner Organizations - News from the National Conservation Community

American Fisheries Society Check out the American Fisheries Society's new Google group. More>>
American Sportfishing Association The FishAmerica Foundation is the 2008 recipient of a $5,000 conservation grant from Johnson Outdoors. More>>
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Mark J. Humpert will be joining its staff as the Teaming with Wildlife Director. More>>
BASS/ESPN Outdoors The Clean Boating Act is now law. More>>
Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited Belize moves toward gamefish status for bonefish, tarpon, and permit. More>>
Coastal Conservation Association The bluefin tuna’s population decreases as the need to protect it rises..  More>>
Delta Waterfowl Dry breeding areas have decreased the duck population. More>>
Ducks Unlimited Anheuser-Busch has committed to contribute $2 million to support Duck’s Unlimited’s wetland habitat conservation mission. More>>
Federation of Fly Fishers Read about Bristol Bay and the Pebble Mine in Alaska. More>>
International Game Fish Association Learn more about the Adopt-A-Billfish program. .More>>
International Hunter Education Association IHEA supports climate change legislation. More>>
Izaak Walton League of America A Whole New Game is is IWLA's new report on Climate Change. More>>
Mule Deer Foundation Sign up to be an exhibitor at the Mule Deer Foundation's annual meeting next February of 2009. More>>
The Nature Conservancy Learn more about restoring wetlands with TNC.  More>>
North American Grouse Partnership Learn more about the Colorado Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan. More>>
Pheasants Forever Pheasants Forever announces that the Outdoor Channel is their newest national sponsor.  More>>
Quail Forever Upland bird hunting weekend will be Aug. 16-17, 2008. More>>
Quail Unlimited QU updates you on this year's quail populations. More>>
Quality Deer Management Association QDMA gets fired up for deer habitat. More>>
Trout Unlimited Hot weather in Western states is threatening trout survival. More>>
Trust for Public Land Check out the TPL's latest policy watch. More>>
Whitetails Unlimited February 1-8, 2009, WU President Jeff Schinkten and his wife Bonny will host African Days Safaris in Namibia.. More>>
Wildlife Management Institute The Western Governors Association recently made wildlife corridor preservation a priority.  More>>
The Wildlife Society Read the latest issue of Wildlife Policy News.  More>>

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Featured Conservation Leader

Wayne East, Executive Director, International Hunter Education Association

Wayne East enjoys a day in the woods.

Can you please tell us a bit about the International Hunter Education Association?

The IHEA was formed in 1972 to improve communication and uniformity among the state’s hunter education programs. The IHEA has standards that each state is encouraged to follow, which will create reciprocity among states so that a hunter education card issued in one state will be honored in other states. We also work with volunteer hunter education instructors to provide teaching aids, techniques and tips. We have grown to include Canada, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and New Zealand. We have other countries showing interest in joining, including several in Europe.

Who got you involved with hunting and/or fishing? When?

My father was a game warden (now known as a District Wildlife Manager) for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, so I guess you could say fishing and hunting are in my blood. I started fishing so young that I can’t even remember my first times; it is something I always remember doing. As for hunting, my father took me shooting for the first time when I was 7. The next year, I passed my hunter education course at 8 years old and have been hunting ever since. Years later, when it came time to determine what I wanted to spend my life working on, it was a simple decision to major in wildlife biology. My brother also followed in our father’s footsteps and is now a fisheries biologist for the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho.

What is your most memorable experience afield?

I can’t really pick one experience that clearly stands out above all the others. Even though I started hunting at 8 years old, I seemed to have a curse when it came to pheasants. I harvested many doves and quail over the years, but I could never seem to get a pheasant. It took 10 years, so when I finally got my first pheasants in a snow-covered CRP field in Kansas, it was a big deal to me. My first mule deer was also a great memory. He is a beautiful 5x4 and is hanging in my living room. But I know that when my daughter is old enough to hunt, watching her get her first animal will trump all of my personal hunting experiences.

What do you think are our most pressing conservation issues today?

In my opinion, habitat loss due to development and fragmentation is our number one conservation challenge. Here in the West, energy extraction is destroying and fragmenting habitat at an incredible pace.

The steady decline in the number of hunters also worries me. We all need to do our part in taking someone hunting. It truly does take a hunter to make a hunter.

What is your approach to facing conservation challenges?

My approach to facing any challenge is to try and look at the issue from both sides and come up with a win-win solution. Energy extraction, for instance, needs to take place. I need to heat my home in the winter. I am not saying that all energy extraction needs to cease, but it should happen in a manner that least impacts the environment, wildlife habitat, and water quality. One way to minimize impacts is through the use of directional drilling, where one drill pad can extract resources in many different directions, thus reducing the number of drill pads and minimizing the environmental impacts. It may reduce oil and gas companies’ profits, but if it is done in this manner, it can be a win-win situation for all involved.

Why are you involved with the TRCP?

I encourage my hunter education students to become involved in conservation organizations. There is strength in numbers and sportsmen need to stand together and stand firm in fighting for their hunting and fishing heritage. TRCP has such an amazing history and reputation in conservation. That is why I am honored to be a part of this fine organization.

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Bookshelf

Kerplunk! by Patrick F. McManus

With Kerplunk!, Patrick F. McManus delivers a collection of folksy, wonderfully wise depictions of country life. Traveling the highways and byways of the Pacific Northwest, the delightful backcountry characters of Kerplunk! understand how a life of hunting and fishing -- and its inherent potential for misadventure -- can resonate with larger meaning. McManus's characters know exactly why it costs $500 to make a fly lure that retails for $2; why installing a boat trailer hookup can lead to divorce; and, most important, why you should always listen for the sound of your fishing line hitting the water -- because in life as it is in fishing, you don't know you're in the water until you hear the kerplunk!   For more information, please click here.

Wild Men, Wild Alaska by Rocky McElveen

In Wild Men, Wild Alaska, professional hunting and fishing guide and outfitter Rocky McElveen tells the stories of his own adventures as well as those of some of his well-known clients. The book takes readers directly into the Alaskan bush, and shares the intense challenges of a majestic wilderness that pushes a man to his limits.

For more information, click here.

Photo Gallery

Check out How Your Fellow TRCP Partners Fared this Season

Bridget Gutierrez holding her first trout caught on a fly. She caught the wild brown on an olive woolly bugger in the Savage River in Maryland.

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Roosevelt Reflections

Theodore Roosevelt - Bird Hunter
by Ken Barrett

Theodore Roosevelt was widely known as a big game hunter, stalker and slayer of grizzlies, Cape buffalo, lion, rhino and elephant, few realize that he enjoyed hunting birds on occasion as well. Though T.R. admired the skills of a good wing shot, he never considered bird hunting with a shotgun nearly as exciting nor as manly and strenuous a pursuit as hunting big game with a rifle. Like so many youngsters, his hunting and naturalist-collecting career began with the gift of a shotgun from his father. Soon after came a pair glasses he so desperately needed. Roosevelt took the gun and spectacles to Egypt on a family trip down the Nile in the fall of 1872. There, he spent most of his days hunting birds and his evenings stuffing them, having learned rudimentary taxidermy from John James Audubon’s personal taxidermist before departing from New York.

Later he would go on to shoot ducks, geese and even a turkey with his 10 bore at Pine Knot, the presidential weekend get-a-way. He also liked hunting sharp-tail grouse and devoted almost an entire chapter to them in Hunting Trips of a Ranchman, published in 1885.

T.R. seated next to brother Elliot. Photo courtesy Harvard College Library

Any sharp-tail grouse hunter reading his book today can easily relate to his descriptions of hunting the birds - the easy birds of the early season, the almost unapproachable birds of late fall and winter, watching the grouse fly away with their rolling wing beats, hearing them alight in brushy draws. He relates one of his more memorable hunts with his brother Elliot (father of Eleanor) in which they take a wagon and a couple of dogs along for a day's hunting across the wild Dakota Territory. He summed up the story with the following words, “The setter pup did well, ranging very freely, but naturally got tired and careless, flushing his birds half the time; and we had to stop when we still had a good hour of daylight left. Nevertheless we had in our wagon, when we came in at night, a hundred and five grouse, of which 62 had fallen to my brother's gun, and 43 to mine. We would have done much better with more serviceable dogs; besides, I was suffering all day long from a most acute colic, which was any thing but a help to good shooting.”

Obviously, there were no limits in those days, but the truth be told, few others were hunting grouse except the occasional bird or two for the pot. (To learn more about grouse today, visit the North American Grouse Partnership’s Web site.) Whether “a most acute colic” or just plain poor shooting accounts for the disparity between his and Elliot’s bag is a matter of conjecture. But as Teddy said of himself, he did not shoot well, but he shot often.

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