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September 14, 2010

Howard K. Vincent

Q: What is your fondest hunting or angling memory?

When I was 12 years old I would go hunting with my parents in Superior National Forest outside of Duluth, Minn. We didn’t own a tent or a car, so in early fall we would have someone drop us off in the middle of nowhere where we would build a lean-to and grouse hunt. After a week they’d come back to pick us up. Memories of crisp, clear mornings, breaking ice on the creek to get water and long days of hunting endless tote-roads with my mutt of a dog stick in my mind to this day.

Q: What led you to your career in conservation?

In 1987 I came to Pheasants Forever as its first director of finance. At that time I felt I would be here for several years and then move on. Everyone at PF – from the employees to the volunteers – had such a passion for wildlife, conservation and our hunting heritage that I started to believe in their mission. My vision shifted, and my work stopped being work and became my passion.

Q: The USDA recently opened up the Conservation Reserve Program for more acreage. What does this mean for sportsmen?

Like baseball and hotdogs, the Conservation Reserve Program and wildlife habitat go hand-in-hand. The CRP has been the nation’s most important program for hunters and habitat since its creation in 1985. The CRP produced record bird numbers earlier this decade, but the last few years have been tough. We’ve lost millions of CRP acres through expiring contracts, and the bird numbers have declined as a result. Thankfully, we just had our first CRP general signup since 2006, and the USDA has verbally committed to keeping the program at its 32-million-acre cap. That’s great news for hunters, pheasants, quail, deer, trout, turkeys, ducks, walleyes, prairie grouse and most non-game wildlife. Beyond habitat conservation, CRP is the country’s single-best program for cleaning our waters, protecting our soils and mitigating the impact of floods.

Q: What do you think are the most important conservation issues facing sportsmen today?

As our society continues to urbanize, new hunters and anglers lose access to land and the opportunity to enjoy a day afield. Each generation becomes more disconnected from the land. Without this connection, our society increasingly loses the value for wild places, wildlife and our hunting heritage.

Q: Why are sportsmen important players in the future of conservation?

Four decades ago, Aldo Leopold wrote about society’s disconnection from the land. Hunters and anglers understand the value of our land, and we as sportsmen have been, and always will be, the leaders in America’s conservation world.

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July 19, 2010

July Photo of the Month

Bill Geer, director of the TRCP Center for Western Lands, fishes for rainbow trout in Georgetown Lake, Mont. Send us your photos. E-mail them to info@trcp.org or post them in our “fan photos” album on Facebook.

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July 15, 2010

July TRivia

What was the make and gauge of the shotgun that T.R. took on his year-long African Safari?

Congratulations to Cecil Houser who was the first to correctly answer that Roosevelt traveled to the Nile River as a teenager.

Send your answer to this month’s question to brianm@trcp.orgfor your chance to win a navy blue T.R. Sesquicentennial Hat.

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July 14, 2010

Lynn Tjeerdsma

Q: How did you get into hunting and fishing?

I was born on the same farm I own now that was homesteaded by my great-great-grandfather in South Dakota near the Missouri River. Pheasant season was a highlight of each year for me growing up, as we would host out-of-state hunters. I was allowed to hunt with the group and was retrieving birds when I was 7 years old. Along with pheasant hunting, shooting mallards and Canada geese was also part of my hunting heritage. I’ve also spent time shooting prairie dogs, prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse. I started out learning how to fish for bullheads using a cane pole before I even attended grade school. I later graduated to a Zebco rod, catching crappies while ice fishing in the wintertime and catfish in the summertime.

Q: What led you to your career in conservation?

During my farming career in South Dakota, I quickly learned that the best way to produce the wildlife I loved to hunt was to make certain there was enough habitat available. I enrolled land in the Conservation Reserve Program the first year it began and have ground enrolled in the CRP today. I also participated in the Great Plains Conservation Program and Agriculture Conservation Program by seeding grass and planting more than nine acres of trees. Growing up in the wildlife-rich area near the Missouri River made me realize that it is a privilege to enjoy these lands and they need to be preserved for others. There’s no greater goal in my professional career than to develop and administer public policy that enhances soil and water quality and wildlife habitat and preserves it for future generations. During my career at the TRCP [Tjeerdsma worked as a consultant supporting the TRCP’s Farm Bill initiative for nearly three years], Jim Range inspired me to do more for conservation and wildlife.

Q: How did you get involved with the TRCP?

My first association with the TRCP was as a career Farm Service Agency employee participating in the USDA Senior Executive Service program. Under this program I needed to do a three-month detail with a non-government organization. I was fortunate to choose the TRCP and was initially going to split my detail between the TRCP and an agricultural organization; however, I enjoyed working at the TRCP so much I stayed there the entire three months. This led to my being detailed to the TRCP from the FSA for a total of two years under an Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program to work on the conservation title of the 2008 Farm Bill.

Q: What do you think are the most important conservation issues facing sportsmen today?

Habitat, habitat, habitat. Our country loses more than 1 million acres each year due to urban sprawl, the need to grow inexpensive food and growing fuel to lessen our dependence on foreign energy. Sound conservation and habitat development practices must fit into the equation – which is no small task. It is more important now more than ever for conservationists to be united.

Q: What are your hopes for the future of the TRCP?

The TRCP has an important role to play in the future of wildlife and conservation because of the coalition of member organizations it represents. My hope for the future of the TRCP is that it continues as a strong and unified voice to Congress and the administration on issues of mutual interest among its member organizations. My hope also is that conservation, wildlife and hunting and fishing organizations will support the TRCP. The TRCP doesn’t compromise their individual identities or goals in any way – but offers sportsmen’s groups an opportunity to unite in support of issues on which they mutually agree.

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July 4, 2010

Theodore Roosevelt a Proud American President

In honor of July Fourth, here are a few Theodore Roosevelt quotations reflecting his hopes for America.

“Is America a weakling, to shrink from the work of the great world powers? No! The young giant of the West stands on a continent and clasps the crest of an ocean in either hand. Our nation, glorious in youth and strength, looks into the future with eager eyes and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.”

“The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it, if it fails, admit it frankly and try another, but above all, try something.”

“It is by no means necessary that a great nation should always stand at the heroic level. But no nation has the root of greatness in it unless in time of need it can rise to the heroic mood.” 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

CHEERS TO CONSERVATION

Theodore Roosevelt’s experiences hunting and fishing certainly fueled his passion for conservation, but it seems that a passion for coffee may have powered his mornings. In fact, Roosevelt’s son once said that his father’s coffee cup was “more in the nature of a bathtub.” TRCP has partnered with Afuera Coffee Co. to bring together his two loves: a strong morning brew and a dedication to conservation. With your purchase, you’ll not only enjoy waking up to the rich aroma of this bolder roast—you’ll be supporting the important work of preserving hunting and fishing opportunities for all.

$4 from each bag is donated to the TRCP, to help continue their efforts of safeguarding critical habitats, productive hunting grounds, and favorite fishing holes for future generations.

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