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TRCP News
- TRCP Policy Council Announces 2008 Conservation Policy Agenda
- Final Version of 2007 Farm Bill Approaches
- New Look and a New Name for TRCP Energy Campaign
- Senate Weighs Mining Reform; SUSM Promotes Sensible Change
- Get Involved in Idaho Backcountry Management
- Tune-in For More Exciting Episodes of TRCP's Escape to the Wild
- TRCP Policy Council Announces 2008 Conservation Policy Agenda
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EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson address
the TRCP Policy Council.
| The TRCP's policy council convened in mid-January to finalize its "2008 Conservation Policy Agenda,” which represents the consensus priorities of the TRCP’s wide-ranging partner organizations. Stephen Johnson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, attended the meeting and made two announcements that demonstrate the impact of sportsmen on America’s public policy.
In a move that acknowledges the critical habitat wetlands provide numerous species, the EPA will submit a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing concerns about plans to develop the Yazoo Basin Backwater Reformulation Project. Intended to reduce flood damages, the project also would destroy between 67,000 and 200,000 acres of critical wetlands in the lower Mississippi Delta. The EPA concluded the project “may result in significant degradation of extremely valuable wetlands resources that have been, and continue to be, vulnerable to conversion and loss throughout the Mississippi Delta.” The EPA has the authority to veto the project administratively under the Clean Water Act if it determines that is necessary.
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The members of the TRCP Policy Council
who gathered in January.
| Continuing efforts to strengthen relations with the agriculture community, the EPA is establishing a Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee, which will bring representatives from farming and ranching communities together with academics, researchers and conservation groups to offer guidance and input to the EPA. Among its charges will be advising the EPA on its climate change and renewable energy policies and developing an approach to advance sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. Visit the EPA’s Web site for details.
The TRCP’s “2008 Conservation Policy Agenda” was developed by a broad coalition of organizations that includes leading national hunting, fishing and conservation groups. First-time entries on the agenda include addressing the challenges to fish and wildlife populations presented by climate change and an outdated legal framework for hard-rock mining that has left the country broke in more ways than one.
Read the 2008 agenda.
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- Final Version of 2007 Farm Bill Approaches
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Open Fields will help counter hunter decline by funding state-run access programs. | A conference committee is about to begin reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the 2007 Farm Bill. The conservation title of this overwhelmingly large piece of legislation represents the single largest federal investment in conservation on private land, therefore it is critical that sportsmen make their voices heard.
The TRCP was tremendously pleased that “Open Fields” provisions were included in both versions of the 2007 Farm Bill. We will continue working to ensure that Open Fields, a TRCP signature issue since our inception, and other key conservation programs remain in the final version of the bill.
Contact your senators and representatives; let them know that strong conservation funding in the 2007 Farm Bill is important to the outdoor community. Click here to take action now.
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- New Look and a New Name for TRCP Energy Campaign
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The HARD campaign will continue working to amplify sportsmen's voices on public lands energy issues.
Read the brochure. | The TRCP’s grassroots energy campaign has a new look and a new name. Formerly known as Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development, Hunters and Anglers for Responsible Development – or the HARD energy campaign – will continue to keep sportsmen informed about public lands energy development and help you become a voice for hunting, angling and habitat concerns across the Rocky Mountain West.
The TRCP’s HARD energy campaign guarantees that your voice is heard inthe energy debate by
Asking the HARD questions
The TRCP has developed a series of 14 questions for the federal government about its management of hunting and fishing opportunities during energy development on public lands. TRCP field staff is working with sportsmen’s groups and rod and gun clubs to submit these questions to the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service – and to strengthen sportsmen’s voices on public-lands energy issues. Responses received so far demonstrate that the agencies don’t have a plan for sustaining these important recreational uses of public lands, in spite of an executive order directing them to do so.
Providing the HARD data
In June 2007, the TRCP launched a one-of-a-kind effort in Montana to gather data from hunters and anglers about areas in the state that hold significant hunting and fishing value. This data and maps created from them provide state and federal agencies with vital information about balancing the needs of sportsmen and energy development. The TRCP is working closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to complete this first statewide effort and plans to expand the project into other Rocky Mountain states.
Promoting the HARD solutions
The TRCP and its Fish, Wildlife and Energy Working Group have created a set of recommendations, “FACTS for Fish and Wildlife,” that outline what we believe can be done to balance the concerns of sportsmen while developing energy resources. The TRCP is promoting the FACTS recommendations among elected officials, policymakers and administrators to get the needs of fish, wildlife and sportsmen incorporated into energy planning.
For generations, sportsmen have fought to establish a conservation legacy of incredible public lands and fish and wildlife resources. We must continue this conservation ethic to ensure that our values and outdoor traditions are sustained. Following are just a few accomplishments of the TRCP’s HARD energy campaign in 2007:
- 1,074,805.95 acres were protested in 12 lease sales in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming
- 185,500 acres were withdrawn by the BLM following the TRCP’s protests
- In October, the BLM cancelled its Utah energy sale. The agency acknowledged that more studies were needed about the effects of energy development on important wildlife habitat – places crucial to the future of our hunting traditions.
The TRCP’s HARD energy campaign just reached a milestone: More than 1,000 sportsmen have joined the grassroots initiative since its inception. This issue of the Square Dealer features an interview with Jeff Streeter, who recently became a HARD volunteer and who is actively involved in public lands energy issues in his home state of Wyoming. Join TRCP’s HARD energy campaign now and stay up to speed with energy development issues across the Rocky Mountain West – and help guarantee the future of America’s hunting and angling legacy.
Join Hunters and Anglers for Responsible Development.
Learn more about the TRCP’s energy initiative.
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- Senate Weighs Mining Reform; SUSM Promotes Sensible Change
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The effects of mining as seen from above.
Photo courtesy of the EPA | As the U.S. Senate initiates landmark deliberations of the 1872 General Mining Law, America’s sportsmen continue to support sensible reform of the nation’s most out-of-date mining legislation. On Jan. 24, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee met to consider an issue already approved by the House. Representatives of Sportsmen United for Sensible Mining (SUSM) testified for practical revision of the 1872 law that will conserve fish and wildlife habitat and uphold public-lands sporting traditions.
SUSM, a coalition of organizations and individual grassroots partners spearheaded by the National Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited and the TRCP, formed last summer to preserve America’s legacy of hunting and fishing through sensible mining practices. To coincide with the Senate committee hearing, the sportsmen’s alliance sent a letter, signed by 22 leading national and local sporting groups and urging mining law reform, to Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman and ranking Senator Pete V. Domenici. SUSM staff and volunteers were in Washington, D.C., to attend the hearing and meet with key players on the Senate committee.
Mike Dombeck, former chief of the U.S. Forest Service and former head of the Bureau of Land Management, spoke on behalf of sportsmen at the Senate hearing. “Mining reform legislation needs to reaffirm the doctrine of multiple use and recognize the inherent value of public lands for other important uses and values, including hunting and fishing opportunities and fish and wildlife habitat,” Dombeck said.
On Nov. 1, the House of Representatives voted its approval of the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007 (HR 2262). Under the bill, which passed the House with bipartisan support and a final vote of 244-166, sales of public lands to mining corporations would end. Royalties of up to 4 percent would be assessed to existing mines and 8 percent to new mines, with proceeds funding cleanup of abandoned mines. New permitting and environmental guidelines also would be enacted.
“Sportsmen United for Sensible Mining applauds the House of Representatives for acknowledging the critical need for reform of the 1872 mining law,” said Land Tawney, senior manager for Sportsmen United for Sensible Mining. “Our country’s hunters and anglers look toward the leadership of the Senate in continuing the movement toward sensible revision of this 135-year-old legislation.
“The Senate committee hearing confirmed that America is finally ready to undertake mining law reform,” continued Tawney. “Sportsmen should anticipate the introduction of a Senate bill in the weeks to come. Now is the time for hunters and anglers to contact their senators and encourage them to support revision of a law that has harmed our public lands for well over a century.”
Under the 1872 Mining Law, more than 270 million acres of federal land are open to hard-rock mining. Because the 1872 law has never been meaningfully reformed, many of America’s most treasured public lands – including important wildlife habitat and hunting areas, valuable fisheries, popular recreation sites, vital municipal water supplies and sensitive roadless areas – are in jeopardy. Contact your senators now and urge them to support mining reform and the future of our public lands legacy.
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- Get Involved in Idaho Backcountry Management
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Mule deer are among many species that thrive in the backcountry.
| The state of Idaho and the federal government are currently working to develop a plan for future management of 9.3 million acres of Idaho’s roadless backcountry.
Backcountry areas offer secure habitat for big-game animals, such as bighornsheep, mule deer and elk and provide clean water for wild trout, salmon and steelhead.To maintain some of the nation’s best hunting and fishing, sportsmen mustwork together to conserve Idaho’s backcountry areas and uphold the specialqualities that make these roadless areas irreplaceable.
In December, the U.S. Forest Service released a draft plan for the future managementof all of Idaho’s roadless backcountry. While the draft plan does takeinto account the value and conservation of the state’s roadless areas,sportsmen’s input will help ensure that our interests and traditions areincorporated into the final version.
Idaho Lt. Gov. Jim Risch has been instrumental in developing the proposed rule and is supportive of our outdoor traditions. Hunters and anglers should write to Lt. Gov. Risch and request that he carefully consider how the rule as currently drafted would affect backcountry areas in southeast Idaho. These roadless areas provide some of the best big-game hunting and native cutthroat trout fishing in the nation yet are proposed to be released from management guidelines that conserve their unique backcountry qualities. Maintaining these areas will help ensure the future of hunting and fishing in the Gem State.
Spend two minutes of your time supporting quality hunting in Idaho. Click here to send a letter to Lt. Gov. Risch now.
For more about the TRCP’s roadless initiative, visit our Web site.
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- Tune-in For More Exciting Episodes of TRCP's Escape to the Wild
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IAMAW Member Barbara Ries and Host Tom Ackerman hunt caribou in the Northwest Territories | A new month brings more all-new episodes of TRCP’s Escape to the Wild on VERSUS Country. Join host Tom Ackerman when he dresses as an inspector, a livestock buyer, Santa Claus, a reporter and other unique characters to surprise hardworking union members with once-in-a-lifetime hunting and fishing trips.
Mako Sharks -- Thursday, Feb. 7 at 12:30 PM (ET)
New York City steamfitter Jay Rodriguez (a.k.a. J-Rod) goes toe-to-toe with one of the most dangerous fish in the sea — the mako shark.
Wisconsin Whitetail – Sunday, Feb. 10 at 10 AM (ET)
Sheet metal worker John Scavotto, who sports a shoulder tattoo of a bow hunter, leaves the East Coast for whitetail hunt in Wisconsin.
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UA Member Jay Rodriguez prepares to battle mako sharks with a fly rod off San Diego's coast |
Nebraska Waterfowl – Sunday, Feb. 17 at 10 AM (ET)
Russell Delaney, a Splice Service Technician for Verizon, watches his dream come true as the skies fill with ducks and geese in a major flyway.
Kansas Whitetail – Sunday, Feb. 24 at 10 AM (ET)
Anthony Vecchio gets the ultimate vacation from his busy life as a union painter, volunteer fire fighter, farmer and father of five when he heads to South Dakota in search of monster whitetails.
Click here to find air times and/or your VERSUS channel number.
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Updates from TRCP Partner Organizations - News from the National Conservation Community
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American Sportfishing Association
The FishAmerica Foundation will accept grant proposals through February 11, 2008. Grants of up to $50,000 each will be awarded in June 2008. More>> |
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Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Stay up-to-date by reading the Conservation News blog. More>> |
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BASS/ESPN Outdoors
2007 was a successful year for the resource and the angler. More>> |
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Coastal Conservation Association
Read the latest edition of TIDE Magazine. More>> |
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Delta Waterfowl
Former Wildlife Director for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & ParksDoug Hansen has joined Delta Waterfowl as its U.S. senior policy advisor. More>>
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Ducks Unlimited
Happy 71st Birthday to Ducks Unlimited. More>> |
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Federation of Fly Fishers
The National Fly Fishing expo will be held March 28-30, 2008 in Lakeland, Fla. More>> |
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Izaak Walton League of America
Submit your application for the 2008 National Conservation Scholarship by April 1, 2008. More>> |
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Mule Deer Foundation
The Mule Deer Foundation is once again teaming up with Sportsmen For Habitat and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep for the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo Feb. 6-9, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. More>> |
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The Nature Conservancy
TNC has been awarded an $800,000 grant for its efforts to conserve and restore the Mississippi River from its headwaters in Minnesota to its mouth in Louisiana. More>> |
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Pheasants Forever
Pheasant Fest 2008 breaks Pheasants Forever attendance records. More>> |
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Quail Forever
QF applauds the USDA Conservation Reserve Program wildlife practice announcement made by Acting Secretary Chuck Conner. More>> |
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Quail Unlimited
QU is accepting for nominations for the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative Group Achievement and Individual Awards. More>> |
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Quality Deer Management Association
Brian Murphy, wildlife biologist and executive director of the QDMA, will be one of four instructors for this year’s Master Wildlifer II course, a satellite course offered by Clemson University. More>>
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Trout Unlimited
TU has completed an extensive review of the interim Flexible Flow Management Program for the Upper Delaware River and is calling for changes to the Delaware River flow plan. More>> |
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Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announce the protection of 600 acres along the southern flank of Ute Mountain. More>> |
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Whitetails Unlimited
Whitetails Unlimited gives you an update on chronic wasting disease. More>> |
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Wildlife Management Institute
A full-day workshop entitled “The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: Affirming the Role, Strength and Relevance of Hunting in the 21st Century,” will be held March 25, 2008. More>> |
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The Wildlife Society
TWS is now accepting applications for Leadership Institute 2008. More>> |
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Grassroots Action
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Thank you to all the TRCP partners who took action and voiced your opinions on the Richfield Management Plan in Utah. We had an extremely high response rate of 10%. We appreciate your speaking up in favor of responsible land management.
Click here to check out our current campaigns. |
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Featured Conservation Leader
Jeff Streeter, HARD Campaign Volunteer
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Jeff Streeter is a Wyoming hunter and fisherman who has made his living for the past 30 years as a fishing outfitter. He was introduced to the TRCP through TRCP field representative Dwayne Meadows when the TRCP went to Saratoga to discuss the Atlantic Rim project. Jeff is a western outfitter who has eastern and western clients, and he has a legitimate concern for the future of the resource. He also is a life-long hunter who has taught both his sons to be avid outdoorsmen. |
Who got you involved with hunting and/or fishing? When?
My involvement in hunting and fishing began, I guess, when I was born. I've never thought about it. I have fished and hunted all my life. I remember as a teen wishing my family would take a normal vacation like other families. Both of my parents involved me in hunting and fishing.
What is your most memorable experience afield?
My most memorable experience has to be as a very young child in the bow of my father's Oldtown cedar canoe. We lived on a lake in western Connecticut, so I spent lots of time on/in the water. I'm certain my dad was trying to fish despite my impatience. My most favorite thing was going fast. My father was a very strong paddler, and after a time he would pour on the speed for me. The bow of that beautiful canoe would rise with each paddle stroke and carry me across the water at what seemed to that little boy an incredible speed. No one could catch my dad and me. When dad would stop paddling, we would skim across the surface, and I would let my fingers dangle in the water creating a wake. I haven't thought about that in a long time.
What do you think are our most pressing conservation issues today?
Our most pressing conservation issue today is the disconnect of so many people from the land. This feeling of disconnect allows us to destroy natural habitats with little thought of the long-term impact our actions have on ecosystems. Whether it is energy development, housing sprawl, carbon dioxide emissions, depletion of ground and surface waters, monoculture ag practices or logging, we should tread lighter. Profit-generated activities must be balanced with the needs of our natural environs. Why does industry have to grow each quarter to be successful? Is bigger always a better solution?
What do you think of the current federal approach to energy development on public lands?
The federal approach to energy development has to be reviewed. The Upper North Platte River Valley, where I have lived and worked for well over 30 years, is under siege by energy development interests. BLM lands within sight of homes, schools and churches are threatened by possible oil and gas exploration. Our fisheries, crucial winter habitat for ungulate populations, sage grouse habitat and general aesthetics of our valley could be destroyed for profit. Municipal water supplies for our towns could be compromised. The BLM does not have to notify municipalities of potential energy development in their areas. The BLM can't tell us, as residents, who it is that wants to lease the public lands for energy development close to our towns. The period for comment on resource management plans is short and not well-publicized. Excluding lands from energy development takes a literal act of Congress. The process is very one-sided in favor of energy developers and to the detriment of wildlife, fisheries and the people who live in these areas.
What is your approach to facing conservation challenges?
My approach to conservation challenges is to sensitize people, one at a time if need be, to the ramifications of the demands they place constantly on the environment. What does your lawn really cost to keep green in the arid West? That sleek 300 horsepower car, is it necessary? Are we really more comfortable with our thermostats set on 72? These are essential questions. We cannot expect traction on conservation issues if all we do is promise people less. No politician gets elected promising his or her constituents less. If one person at a time can be sensitized to the incredible beauty, diversity and importance of the natural world, we have a good shot. If we can forge the connection between healthy environs and conservation of our natural resources, there's a chance. Take a friend fishing or hunting or just for a walk; give someone this incredible gift. I believe there is an essential connection we all share with wildness; it must be rekindled. Only then will people think about conservation.
How do you think the average American sportsmen can help ensure more balanced development of oil and gas resources with habitat management?
The average American sportsman can help ensure a balance between oil and gas development and habitat management by conserving our resources and letting his or her opinions be known to our elected officials. We can also help work toward a balance by donating time and monies to our favorite causes.
Why are you involved with the TRCP?
I'm involved with TRCP because it constitutes a partnership of conservation organizations. Too long have conservation organizations competed with each other for donations and publicity to further their own existence. The TRCP realizes organizations must work together to further the common goal of healthy and sustainable ecosystems. I do not appreciate weekly donation alerts from other conservation groups. The TRCP does not solicit me in this way. Most importantly, Dwayne (Meadows, TRCP field representative) is a good guy.
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Bookshelf
Norris on Trout Fishing
by Thaddeus Norris
edited by Paul Schullery
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This collection samples both the expertise and the generous warmth that made Thaddeus Norris (1811-1877) such a beloved figure in American angling. From his wise portrayal of the many types of anglers, to the biology and behavior of native American brook trout, to his touching portrait of the now-extinct Michigan grayling, Norris set a standard for American angling thought that educated and inspired succeeding generations and still offers us both provocation and wisdom today. His concluding essay on the joys of fly fishing alone is regarded as a primary milestone of angling philosophy that set the tone for the philosophical explorations of many later writers.
For more information, please click here.
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Ramblings of a Lowcountry Game Warden: A Memoir
by Ben McC. Moise
Moïse guides readers through his remarkable career in wildlife law enforcement along the South Carolina coast during all seasons, all hours, and all weather conditions. In briskly paced accounts of episodes—sometimes dangerous, sometimes humorous—he introduces a lively cast of watermen, lawyers, country judges, hunters, and poachers who animate the coast and whose quirky personalities and foibles are the game warden's daily stock in trade. Moïse's narrative highlights the working lives of commercial crabbers and shrimpers, the antics of overly enthusiastic fishermen, and the great lengths to which hunters will go in their quests for doves, ducks, and marsh hens. Moïse also describes encounters with displaced 'urban wildlife,' the coastal marijuana smuggling business, and his fellow game wardens.
With a lawman's eye for fine details, a conservationist's nose for the aroma of pluff mud and a seasoned storyteller's ear for the rhythms of a good Southern yarn, Moïse recounts his stout-hearted and steadfast efforts to protect the lowcountry landscape and bring to justice those who would run roughshod over fish and game laws on the Carolina coast.
For more information, click here.
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Photo Gallery
Check out How Your Fellow TRCP Partners Fared this Season
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Following in the family footsteps, Bitzy gets her first bird. This photo was taken at Swan Hill in Robertville, SC.
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We want your photos.
Next month's selection will win an Orvis hunting shirt with the TRCP logo on it!
Send photos to info@trcp.org.
Electronic photos only please. |
View the rest of the TRCP Partner Photo gallery here.
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Roosevelt Reflections
Teddy’s Square Deal
by Ken Barrett
We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less.
Theodore Roosevelt,
New York State Fair, Syracuse, Sept. 7, 1903
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T.R. speaks to a crowd.
Photo courtesy Library of Congress |
At the TRCP we believe in Teddy’s square deal philosophy and agree it has never been more needed or truer than it is today. That’s why we named your newsletter the Square Dealer, and why in these pages we attempt to give our partners the best, most factual and up-to-date information on issues that affect the welfare of all of our waters, fish and wildlife and the habitats we all depend upon for our hunting and angling traditions.
Readership of the Square Dealer continues to increase and more and more of the TRCP’s partners are weighing in on a diverse set of issues, including the Farm Bill, energy development on public lands, wetlands, mining reform and more. It is especially encouraging and gratifying to see the TRCP’s partners working together to address issues outside their immediate concerns and surrounds. It’s a testament to their understanding of Teddy’s words, “The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of us all.” And it’s a clear signal that so many of you are asking yourselves, "What would Teddy do?" and answering it by actively voicing your concerns and taking action.
The TRCP needs more partners like you, people who are ready to take action, and who believe in a square deal for all of us and for our lands, waters, fish and wildlife and the places they inhabit. So I ask you to just click here to send a friend an invitation to join TRCP. You can bet … it’s what Teddy would do.
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