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TRCP News
- Colorado’s Backcountry Needs Your Support
- Sportsmen and Conservation Groups Join Together to Support Open Fields Funding
- Give Today, Get Next Year
- Midway Milestone Reached in Wetlands Petition Drive; Your Help Needed to Reach 80,000 Signatures
- Working Group Meets in Colorado to Discuss TRCP Energy Initiative
- NOAA Proposes National Saltwater Angler Registry
- TRCP’s Escape to the Wild Labor Day Marathon a Success
- USGS Establishes National Climate Change and Wildlife Center
- TRCP Releases 2008 Annual Report
- Colorado’s Backcountry Needs Your Support
Action alert: Sportsmen must act now to ensure a future for Colorado’s roadless backcountry.
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National Forest Service roadless open house
in Monte Vista, Co. |
Responsible roadless area management is an issue that elicits strong opinions from just about everyone. Most of us know that our national forest roadless areas provide some of our best remaining fish and wildlife habitat and offer unmatched opportunities for angling and hunting. Yet new state-level management plans and a recent federal court ruling challenging the future of the 2001 Roadless Rule show that sportsmen must continue to speak up and support the conservation of these valuable public lands.
No better example of the roadless debate currently exists than in Colorado, which is hashing out the details of a plan that will determine the future management of 4.4 million acres of national forest backcountry. The stakes are high: Colorado has more elk and mule deer than any other state in the country and is one of the only remaining states to offer over-the-counter elk tags to nonresidents. A finer place to experience America’s sporting heritage is hard to find. The TRCP needs your help to keep it that way.
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T.R. takes a break from talking roadless areas for a photo with Joel Webster, the TRCP's roadless initiative manager. |
Right now, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is working with the federal government to finalize a state roadless rule. According to the governor, the Colorado rule should strongly conserve the state’s roadless areas. The draft rule presented by the federal government, however, includes numerous points of concern, such as a 400-percent increase in new miles of roads built annually, a 1,000-percent increase in the spread of invasive weeds and more than 57,000 acres opened to road building for energy development.
This plan will determine how some of the finest hunting and fishing grounds in Colorado will be managed for generations to come. Unless sportsmen get involved now, we could lose valuable big-game and fisheries habitat important to our outdoor traditions.
Send a letter to Gov. Ritter and ask him to support Colorado’s backcountry by taking time to fix the problematic Colorado roadless rule. Speaking up takes only a few moments of your time, but those few moments can help forge a future for Colorado’s roadless backcountry – and America’s conservation legacy. Learn more about how national forest roadless areas help ensure healthy fish and game populations.
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- Sportsmen and Conservation Groups Join Together to Support 'Open Fields' Funding
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Sen. Conrad (ND) speaks at a 2007 press conference
on Open Fields while TRCP Chairman James D. Range,
Dave Nomeson of Pheasants Forever, Rep. Pomeroy(ND)
and Bart James of Ducks Unlimited listen. |
Just months after a brand new program to increase hunter access to private lands was passed in the 2008 Farm Bill, the funding for the ‘Open Fields’ program has become a target in the White House’s recently released supplemental budget request for FY 2009.
A signature issue of the TRCP since our inception, Open Fields became law for the first time in May 2008, funded at $50 million over four years. This money will assist states in exapnding or starting voluntary hunter access programs. The president’s proposed budget released at the beginning of August would strip Open Fields of all funding before it even has a chance to get started.
The TRCP organized a letter to key policymakers in Washington on behalf of sportsmen and conservationists in support of maintaining full funding for Open Fields. We are very pleased that 37 national and regional hunting, angling and conservation organizations signed the letter.
The TRCP will keep you updated on this issue in the coming weeks. Be on the lookout for a TRCP action gram so you can voice your support for full funding of this important program.
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3. Give 25, Get 365
The 2009 TRCP calendar has arrived. Featuring the tremendous images of nature photographer Dusan Smetana, historical Theodore Roosevelt images and his words of wisdom, Teddy’s Vision, Our Mission is sure to please T.R. buffs and those who love the outdoors. When you donate $25 or more to the TRCP, we will send you a copy of Teddy’s Vision, Our Mission as a thank-you for your support.
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4. Midway Milestone Reached in Wetlands Petition Drive; Your Help Needed to Reach 80,000 Signatures
August marked a busy month for the TRCP’s "We Are Wetlands" campaign. The TRCP hosted a wetlands summit in Memphis, Tenn., at which teams of concerned sportsmen and conservationists gathered to discuss ways to educate more people about the value of our nation’s wetlands and clean water. TRCP grassroots organizers also attended the Great Outdoor Festival in Osh Kosh, Wis., as part of the campaign’s outreach and petition drive effort. And the push to collect 80,000 petition signatures calling on the president to help restore wetlands protections continues.
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"We Are Wetlands" seeks to educate all Americans on the impacts that wetlands and clean water have on all our lives. Not only are they vital to the many fish and wildlife species that sportsmen cherish, they also are provide essential societal functions such as clean drinking water, flood control, hurricane buffers, erosion control and more.
Alarmingly, up to 20 million acres of our nation’s wetlands and waters that once were federally protected under the Clean Water Act are now at risk due to recent Supreme Court decisions that undermine these protections. What’s more, America continues to lose 80,000 acres of our natural wetlands each and every year. This is why the TRCP has undertaken this campaign – and why we need your help now.
We are halfway to our goal of 80,000 names on our wetlands petition. You can help us reach the finish line. If you have not signed yet, please do so today by going to our campaign Web site, www.WeAreWetlands.org – it only takes a few seconds. Also please consider sharing this important message with your family, friend, neighbors and co-workers.
For more information about our campaign, please contact Geoff Mullins at gmullins@trcp.org.
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5. Working Group Meets in Colorado to Discuss TRCP Energy Initiative
Like many communities in the Rocky Mountain West, Durango, Colo., draws its identity in part from the stunning natural features that surround it. Near the Four Corners junction with Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, Durango is hemmed in by the towering sandstone bluffs of the Animas River Valley and edged by the San Juan Mountains. The Animas offers gold medal fly-fishing waters and is popular for whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing. To the south, the 2 million acre San Juan National Forest provides additional outdoor pursuits.
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Cold Springs Mountain Wildlife Management Area in the Vermillion Basin |
It was a fitting location for the TRCP Fish, Wildlife and Energy Working Group (FWEWG) to convene its summer meeting, where the agenda included field tours of energy development in the San Juan Basin and surrounding countryside, as well as discussions about how the TRCP energy initiative can expand and improve its work on behalf of responsible public-lands energy development – development that sustains fish and game populations and hunting and fishing opportunities for the long term.
An assemblage of biologists and natural resource experts from partner groups, the FWEWG guides the TRCP’s overall approach to its energy development work. Individual members of the working group step forward to offer advice or leadership as needed, and the entire team collectively oversees current and future work of the energy initiative, all while assuring that its priorities remain firmly fixed on sportsmen’s values.
“The Fish, Wildlife and Energy Working Group offers TRCP a unique opportunity to ensure that its energy activities mesh with its partners’ priorities – and confirm that its work helps further the interests of every American angler and hunter,” said working group co-chair Leah Elwell, conservation coordinator of the Federation of Fly Fishers. “The TRCP can augment this opportunity by continuing to define its identity with sportsmen, strengthen its presence on the ground level and constantly look for ways to dialogue with industry and other sporting and conservation groups.”
The working group’s efforts have resulted in FACTS for Fish and Wildlife, a set of principles for managing oil and gas projects on public lands, and have established the TRCP energy initiative as a formidable force advocating for America’s hunters and anglers. Calling on the federal government and industry to increase funding, accountability, coordination, transparency and science – the FACTS – the FWEWG has formulated an approach to energy development that balances the diverse interests of public lands’ multiple users and supports healthy habitat for fish and wildlife. By basing its platform on the most up-to-date and proven science, the group leaves no doubt that it is driven by concern for the future of fish and wildlife populations and conservation of our irreplaceable natural resources.
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At its conference in Durango, the FWEWG visited the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and learned from tribal representatives how oil and gas development is being pursued on reservation lands. The working group also toured the nearby HD Mountains and BLM lands near Farmington, N.M., and met with members of industry and staff from the Colorado Division of Wildlife and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. During a daylong meeting, participants also discussed and revised the energy initiative strategic plan and weighed directions the initiative should take in the remainder of 2008 and in 2009.
“Taking a firsthand look at ongoing energy projects, meeting with local managers to discuss the issues and hurdles they face, and becoming intimately familiar with places where drilling is under way – these activities allow our energy initiative and the working group to appreciate the complexities of public-lands energy development,” said TRCP Energy Initiative Manager Steve Belinda. “They also help us connect with local sportsmen and understand how national policy decisions affect communities.
“Thanks to working group input and guidance, the TRCP energy initiative has established itself in short order as a dominant influence in the policy debate over energy development on public lands,” Belinda continued. “Our challenge as we move forward will be to sustain the advisory roles of the working group members while blazing a trail toward common-sense management of our federal public lands and our continued enjoyment of America’s outdoors.”
In recent years, the FWEWG has visited active oil and gas fields in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Learn more about the TRCP energy initiative via the TRCP Web site. Join Hunters and Anglers for Responsible Development to stay up to date on energy development on our public lands.
TRCP and Grouse Partnership Commend BLM Sage Grouse Protections in WY
In response to actions that could significantly benefit both wildlife and sportsmen, the TRCP and North American Grouse Partnership praised the Bureau of Land Management for its recently announced efforts to conserve sage grouse habitat in northeastern Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. The temporary measures affect approximately 1 million acres of sage grouse habitat, where recent studies show dramatic decreases in populations of the bird. The measures include limits on the density of oil and gas wells in these areas.
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Sage grouse
Photo courtesy: USFWS |
The federal move is important for the future of sage grouse in the Powder River Basin and could prevent further declines in population that would necessitate increased regulation. Sage grouse are being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
The BLM action follows a formal request to the Secretary of the Interior by the TRCP and NAGP to undertake landscape conservation measures for sage grouse habitats on federal public lands administered by the BLM. The groups want the BLM to better manage sage grouse and their habitats during public-lands energy development to avert the need for Endangered Species Act protections for the popular game bird. A threatened or endangered listing would affect sage grouse hunters first and foremost due to the possible elimination or restriction of hunting opportunities – actions already proposed due to decreases in bird numbers. It also would affect farming and ranching operations across the West where sage grouse occupy public and private lands.
“Sportsmen support the BLM decision to embrace actions that should help maintain sage grouse and avoid an endangered listing,” said TRCP Energy Initiative Manager Steve Belinda, a former federal biologist. “Logically, though, we also must ask, ‘What’s next? And what about the rest of Wyoming?’ Obviously, the BLM must undertake additional and wider-ranging conservation measures if we hope to sustain secure populations of sage grouse into the long-term future.”
“We genuinely appreciate the BLM action on behalf of sage grouse populations in northeastern Wyoming,” said Ralph Rogers, executive director of the NAGP. “A review of past trends and declines in sage grouse population numbers points to one, unqualified certainty: What we have been doing to conserve this species is not working.”
The scope of the BLM guidelines generally corresponds to areas of core sage grouse habitat designated by Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal in an executive order earlier this month. Sage grouse are listed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department as a “species of special concern,” and currently the BLM is required to pursue actions that help conserve species identified by the state. A proposal to change this requirement is being drafted by the BLM in its revision of its Sensitive Species Manual.
While these new guidelines are good news for both sportsmen and wildlife, this one localized action is not going to prevent an endangered listing for sage grouse. Much more action is required by the federal government – and on a much broader scale – to ensure that public-lands energy development doesn’t continue to threaten the bird’s existence. Willingness by the BLM to engage in decisive and conscientious management of our nation’s natural resources will result in fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation being maintained for future generations to enjoy.
Keep on fighting for sportsmen’s interests in public land energy development. Consider making a donation to the TRCP and help ensure that energy development is balanced with our hunting and fishing traditions.
Want to join other Hunters and Anglers working for Responsible Development?
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6. NOAA Proposes National Saltwater Angler Registry
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently proposed the establishment of the National Saltwater Angler Registry, which would provide NOAA with catch data from saltwater anglers who fish in federal waters so that marine fish stocks can be managed in a more sustainable manner. Anglers who pursue anadromous fish also would be required to register their catch data with NOAA.
The TRCP’s Angling 4 Oceans Coalition supports the proposed registry. Angling 4 Oceans advocated the registry provisions that ultimately were included in the reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Act in 2006. In fact, the proposed registry largely reflects one of the coalition’s SALT principles:
- Science must be used in marine fisheries conservation.
- Allocate fisheries more equitably to recreational fishermen.
- License saltwater anglers to improve data collection and increase funding.
- Tackle used by fisherman should reduce bycatch and not damage habitat.
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Anglers may be exempt from federal registration if they fish in a state that already has a program to account for its saltwater anglers. The proposed rule outlines possible exemptions for states that offer a comprehensive saltwater fishing license or a regional angler survey program approved by NOAA Fisheries. In addition, anglers fishing from licensed for-hire vessels and anglers under the age of 16 are exempt from registering.
The establishment of a uniform saltwater fishing registry in all coastal states and the standardization of information collected should provide better data on recreational harvest, increase funding for fisheries management, and improve management decisions at both state and federal levels. In addition, the guidelines for state exemptions in lieu of the federal registry would allow states to build a much better data collection framework.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the proposed registry will be the enhanced recognition of the critical role that recreational saltwater anglers play in marine conservation and the economic benefits that they generate, hopefully leading to more equitable allocations of fish stocks to recreational fishermen. The TRCP is continuing to work with NOAA on further development and implementation of the registry.
Although the comment period on the new rule is closed, you can learn more about the National Saltwater Angler Registry at http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip/.
President Signs Memo Sustaining Fishing in Marine Designation Process
In an Aug. 25 executive memo to the secretaries of Defense, Interior and Commerce and the chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, Pres. Bush directed these agencies to study potential marine protected areas in the central Pacific Ocean.
“We are very pleased that after much discussion, the president included sustained access for recreational fishing in the central Pacific region as an integral part of a conservation management plan,” said American Sportfishing Association President and CEO Mike Nussman.
As outlined in the memo, the central Pacific region includes coral reefs, pinnacles, sea mounts, islands and the surrounding waters of Johnston Atoll; Howland, Baker and Jarvis islands; Kingman Reef; Palmyra Atoll; Wake Island and Rose Atoll. These are all high-value fish habitat areas.
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7. TRCP’s Escape to the Wild Labor Day Marathon a Success
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IAMAW member Barbara Ries of Local 1886 after her successful caribou hunt in the Northwest Territories.
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The VERSUS network honored the American worker and sportsman with its second annual TRCP’s Escape to the Wild Labor Day marathon on Monday, Sept. 1. TRCP’s Escape to the Wild series is a collaboration between VERSUS Country and the TRCP that awards hardworking members of AFL-CIO affiliated unions with hunting or fishing trips of a lifetime. TRCP’s Escape to the Wild is a unique and exciting show that makes ordinary sportsmen’s extraordinary dreams come true.
Host Tom Ackerman and previous TRCP's Escape to the Wild winners appeared throughout the day sharing additional tales about their adventures. The day’s guests included IAFF firefighter Rocky Raimondi, IBEW electrical worker John Demers and UA steamfitter Jay Rodriguez. As an added bonus to the on-air marathon, VERSUSCountry.com featured Web exclusive videos, recaps, blogs and images from the episodes. The half-day marathon featured 10 TRCP’s Escape to the Wild episodes in which winners traveled the United States, Canada and Africa in search of big fish and dangerous game.
An all-new season of TRCP’s Escape to the Wild begins in January 2009. Lucky winners will venture to Argentina to hunt majestic red stag, join professional angler Byron Velvick for world-class Texas bass fishing, trek Canada’s expansive tundra to hunt caribou and run-and-gun for upland birds at a top-notch lodge. And that’s just a few of the adrenaline-pumping adventures lined up for the best season yet.
The fourth season of TRCP's Life in the Open will premiere
with caribou and brook trout on Oct. 4. We will keep you up to date on both programs as the season apporachs.
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8. USGS Establishes National Climate Change and Wildlife Center
 Ongoing changes in the earth's climate are beginning to affect our nation's fish and wildlife resources – and this trend will only continue in the years ahead. At the same time, however, the amount of scientific information on which to base the management of fish and wildlife in the face of climate change is relatively small.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) plans to meet this challenge through the new National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center.
The goals of the center are as follow:
• Provide managers with information on the effects of climate change on fish, wildlife and habitats, derived through scientific research and monitoring;
• Assist federal agencies in developing adaptive management strategies to meet the challenges of managing fish and wildlife in a changing climate; and
• Consult with state, tribal and local agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations and other public and private entities to identify priorities for research, monitoring and tools managers can use to assist fish and wildlife in adapting to the effects of climate change on their habitats.
Some examples of 2008 research at the new center include the following:
• Quantifying the influence of climate change on Rocky Mountain ungulate populations, migration and feed-ground use, as well as impacts on vegetation;
• Understanding the effects of stream temperature and flow changes on native salmon populations;
• Examining climate change as a challenge to bird conservation in the arid and semi-arid regions of North America; and
• Projecting the effects of sea level rise on endangered species in San Francisco Bay tidal marshes.
The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center is being designed with input from federal, state and tribal science and management agencies; nongovernmental organizations; academic institutions; and others with an interest in conserving America's fish and wildlife resources. The center will be developed in phases, with the size and scope of the program changing over time as resources allow.
For more information about climate change, visit www.seasonsend.org or contact Bill Geer, TRCP climate change initiative manager.
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9. TRCP Releases 2008 Annual Report
 In August, the TRCP released its 2008 annual report, “His Vision … Our Mission.” This report outlines the work that the TRCP has done over the course of the last year with our partners, on our initiatives, on our TV shows and with our Union Sportsmen’s Alliance program.
TRCP Chairman James D. Range writes in his introduction, “It has been a pleasure for me to watch the TRCP’s accomplishments grow, especially because the policy outcomes we have influenced all were made better by the incorporation of sportsmen’s perspectives. That is what we’ll continue to stand for in the years to come: making sure that hunters and anglers have a say in the issues that affect them, and making sure that their voices are heard by the right people at the right times.”
Read the report.
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Photo credit: LOCC
A big thanks to everyone who sent in an answers to last month's T.R.ivia question. Congratulations go to our August winner, Bob Krul. Bob was the first person to correctly identify the firearm that T.R. took to Africa as a Fox 12-guage double-barreled shotgun. We are sending Bob a copy of Historic Images of Theodore Roosevelt for his winning efforts. Congratulations, Bob.
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
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American Fisheries Society
Watch live video of the AFS 2008 plenary session. More>>
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American Sportfishing Association
The FishAmerica Foundation announces it has funding available for marine and anadromous sportfish habitat restoration projects across the coastal United States and the Great Lakes basin. More>> |
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Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
The National Conservation Leadership Institute has named its 2008-2009 fellows. More>> |
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BASS/ESPN Outdoors
Read the latest from Noreen Clough’s conservation journal. More>> |
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Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited
Learn more about the upcoming BTU symposium, Research and Conservation for the Future, to be held in Florida Nov. 14-16. More>>
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Coastal Conservation Association
Summer flounder stock appears to be responding well to recent reductions in total allowable catch and is on track to meet a rebuilding deadline set for 2013. More>> |
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Delta Waterfowl
Delta Waterfowl profiles Stuttgart, Ark., where mallard is king. More>>
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Ducks Unlimited
Check out the DU waterfowl migration map. More>> |
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Federation of Fly Fishers
Learn to tie your favorite fly with FFF’s fly of the month club. More>> |
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International Game Fish Association
The 10th Annual IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the International Fishing Hall of Fame in Dania Beach, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008. More>>
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International Hunter Education Association
Winchester Ammunition announces the winner of its Hunter Education Instructor of the Year Award. More>>
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Izaak Walton League of America
Read the IWLA’s list of 10 conservation projects for your group or chapter. More>> |
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Mule Deer Foundation
Plan to visit the 2009 National Convention next February in Salt Lake City, Ut. More>> |
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The Nature Conservancy
TNC remembers the 20th anniversary of the “Black Saturday” Yellowstone fire. More>> |
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North American Grouse Partnership
Learn more about the Conservation in Action program. More>>
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Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever presents Bird Dogs and Big Air at Iowa's Forever Outdoors on Sept. 6-7. More>> |
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Quail Forever
The White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy will be held October 1 – 3 in Reno, Nev. More>> |
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Quail Unlimited
QU encourages you to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 27. More>> |
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Quality Deer Management Association
QDMD follows the 2008 deer harvest trends. More>>
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Trout Unlimited
TU and other sportsmen congratulate Idaho’s governor on a solid roadless proposal. More>> |
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Trust for Public Land
Check out the TPL's latest policy watch. More>> |
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Whitetails Unlimited
Whitetails Unlimited will present a $10 gift card to everyone attending a WTU banquet during the 2008-09 banquet season—potentially a $1,000,000 benefit to WTU members. More>> |
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Wildlife Management Institute
WMI examines the hunt for answers on hunter retention and recruitment. More>> |
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The Wildlife Society
Learn more about the TWS 15th Annual Conference in Miami this November. More>> |
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Featured Conservation Leader
Chris Horton, Conservation Director, BASS
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Chris Horton with a Louisiana redfish |
Can you please tell us a bit about BASS?
BASS was founded in 1968 by Ray Scott. Since that time, it has grown to be the largest fishing organization in the world with more than 500,000 members. Although we're viewed by the rest of the world as a competitive fishing organization, we're much more than that. We are a membership organization that strives to provide the necessary information to help people become better anglers. BASS was founded on this basic principle, in addition to protecting the resources that are central to the outdoors and fishing. In fact, five of the 10 original BASS goals had a conservation theme. Natural resource conservation remains a focal point of the organization today.
Who got you involved with hunting and/or fishing? When?
My grandparents. To this day, my earliest memories were times spent on a creek bank watching a bobber, or the annual trip I started making to deer camp with my dad and grandfather, not long after I could walk. I was fortunate to grow up in a rural community, and my mom never worried about me being gone from dawn until dusk. As I got older, I spent every available minute outside fishing, hunting or just exploring.
What is your most memorable experience afield?
That's really a tough one; I've had so many. There is one that really sticks in my mind, as it taught me some valuable lessons. When I was five years old, I had a chance to fish with my grandfather after an Arkansas summer rain shower. We grabbed a couple of cane-poles and headed off to Caney Creek. The conditions were just right. We found an eddy in the newly muddied waters at a bend in the creek and proceeded to catch fish after fish (sunfish). After about 30 minutes of baiting my hook and doing very little fishing himself, my grandfather handed me the can of worms. I was introduced to lesson number one: learn how to bait your own hook.
After we had a stringer full of fish, it was time to go, but I insisted on staying. My grandfather quit fishing, but continued to add more of my fish to the stringer at my request. We finally ran out of worms, and it was time to go. We lifted that stringer out of the water and it was truly an impressive sight. I was so proud, until my grandfather informed me that since they were mostly my fish and I seemed a little greedy, I had to carry them home. Lesson number two: only take what you need and release the rest. It was barely a few hundred yards back to the house, but for a five-year-old dragging a stinger full of fish, it seemed like miles. Once home, I was so proud to show my grandmother what we had caught for supper ... and for supper every night for the next week. I started practicing catch and release at a very young age.
What do you think are our most pressing conservation issues today?
Unfortunately, there are many. However, if I had to pick the most pressing at the moment, I would have to say access. Though access isn't directly related to the conservation of our natural resources, it is absolutely critical to the future of our outdoor heritage and the very sustainability of our fish and wildlife populations. If we continue to limit anglers and hunters from enjoying their favorite pastimes, we will continue to see interests wane and participation decline. Without that participation, management agencies won't have the financial resources to meet the current and future challenges to our fish and wildlife populations.
What is your approach to facing conservation challenges?
Whenever possible, we try to engage our network of BASS Federation Nation clubs and BASS members. They are truly the horsepower behind many of the things that BASS does. Like so many conservation success stories, it all begins with the grassroots members, and often times, just one person who decides to take initiative. We have to get anglers and hunters more motivated to take action. Combined, we could have the strongest voice in this country. Unfortunately, too many people look at it from the point of, "I'm one person, how could I possibly make a difference?" when they really could contribute if they put in the effort.
Why are you involved with the TRCP?
That's an easy one. The TRCP shares the same goals, concerns and approach to important issues as BASS. Founded on the same visions and forethoughts of one of this country’s greatest leaders, and certainly the most important from a sportsmen's perspective, the TRCP is a valuable and important partner in the future of natural resource protection and the continuation of our national outdoor heritage.
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Bookshelf
Home Pool: Stories of Fly Fishing and Lesser Passions by Bruce Ducker
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This book contains 16 short stories evoking the passion of fly fishing for those who are entranced by the waters. Ducker dedicates this collection to his favorite uncounted mountain lakes and twice as many unnamed streams where he finds the inspiration for his fiction.
His colorful characters include a cantankerous old man who refuses to leave his home and brings the sophisticated city developers to their knees, a young wife who outfishes and outsmarts the staid good old boys fishing club, a Hassidic scholar who astounds his fishing companions with his beginner’s luck and a father who can only understand his son when they share a rare afternoon of trout fishing.
For more information, please click here. |
Hilarious Hunting Cartoons by John Troy
 Anyone still kicking himself over a missed shot, anyone wishing that his hunting dog had paid more attention in obedience school, or anyone who has ever been confounded by the antics of a pesky squirrel will enjoy this hugely delightful collection. We are treated to one-panel lampoons of shooters who can't hit stuffed animals, bears that beat up hunters and ducks that make their own decoys. Hilarious Hunting Cartoons will delight both novice and experienced hunters.
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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TRCP Initiative Manager Geoff Mullins shows off a silver salmon he caught while fishing the Little Susitna River in Alaska last month.
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We want your photos.
Send photos to photos@trcp.org.
Electronic photos only please. |
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Roosevelt Reflections
Following T.R.’s Advice
by Ken Barrett
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T.R. seated at his desk
Photo credit: LOCC |
In 1905, when T.R. was president and at the height of his popularity, he wrote, in the rather long-winded and circuitous manner common to the era, “The Audubon Society and kindred organizations have done much for the proper protection of birds and of wild creatures generally; they have taken the lead in putting a stop to wanton or short-sighted destruction, and in giving effective utterance to the desire of those who wish to cultivate a spirit as far removed as possible from that which brings destruction.” He continues, “Sometimes, however, in endeavoring to impress upon a not easily aroused public the need for action, they in their zeal over-state this need.”
Then, as if prophesying the TRCP’s approach to informing the public about important conservation issues, he wrote, “This is a very venial error compared to the good they have done; but in the interest of scientific accuracy it is to be desired that their cause should not be buttressed in such a manner.”
Teddy, one of the best and effective politicians of his or anytime, advised “scientific accuracy” when providing the public with information, and that’s exactly what the TRCP attempts to do with a staff and policy council of professionals and the help of many partner organizations, that are staffed by some of the best and brightest scientists in the country.
I believe T.R. would be proud of and applaud the TRCP’s work; it’s just what he suggested was the right thing to do … over a hundred years ago.
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