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Get Your Kids Out On the Water for National Fishing and Boating Week
Our conservation policy intern has a message for parents of young anglers—the tangled reels are worth it
I learned to fish about the same time that I learned to walk. I’d grab my tiny fishing rod and waddle down to the dock, while my dad dutifully trailed behind me with the tackle box, net, bait, and snacks—which were arguably as important as the bait. All fishing requires patience, but teaching a particularly young child to fish is on a completely different level, so I’m thankful that my father stuck it out through all the tangled reels, the constant need for re-baiting, and the rescue missions when I managed to knock our gear into the water.
I guess it’s easier to find the patience when fishing is a family tradition. It was something my dad used to do with his father. I never got to meet him, but the lures my grandfather made by hand are still in the family tackle box. They serve as a powerful reminder that fishing is more than just a sport—it’s a means of connecting with the ones we love.
That’s what I hope kids across the U.S. will experience during National Fishing and Boating Week (June 4-12), which wraps up this weekend. Learn more about this national celebration of the importance of fishing and boating, not only to our families and culture but also to the American economy and our bedrock conservation funding initiatives, by visiting our friends over at takemefishing.org.
Now that I go to college out of state, I miss the time spent outdoors and appreciate all the memories I have with my family. I can’t think of a more beautiful place to be. These experiences have also fueled my appreciation for and my interest in conservation policy, which led me to an internship at the TRCP.
I’ve always been appreciative of our country’s fish and wildlife resources—never tired of noticing all the shades of green you can find in the woods, always dazzled when the sun reflects just right off a fish. In this country, we have incredible access to these riches. But my time in Washington is starting to make me recognize more than ever that this is a privilege, and these places require our active care. And everyone who loves to hunt and fish needs to stay informed on the issues that impact our fish and wildlife, so we can actively advocate for conservation.
I hope that, when the day comes, our generation will have put in the tough work on conservation so that my father can go fishing with my children. I hope they’ll be able to lift the lid on our family tackle box and wonder at my grandfather’s lures, before counting all the greens in the trees and tossing a worm off the dock, bound for undetermined depths—or a snag on a tree branch. Either way, it’s worth it.
Shannon Fagan is the TRCP summer intern through the Demmer Scholar Program. She is going into her senior year at Michigan State University where she is majoring in Social Relations and Policy and minoring in Science, Technology, Environment and Public Policy.
ARIZONA’S COCONINO COUNTY OPPOSES EFFORTS TO TRANSFER FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS TO THE STATE
News for Immediate Release
Jun. 07, 2016
Contact: Kristyn Brady, 617-501-6352, kbrady@trcp.org
Board of Supervisors supports sportsmen’s access and local economies over short-term economic gain
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Today, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution formally opposing wholesale efforts to transfer America’s public lands to the state of Arizona or local governments. The vote was held amid efforts by an Arizona State Legislature committee to examine processes for transferring or disposing of public lands within the Grand Canyon State.
The final resolution recognizes that:
• Tourism related to federal public lands and recreational amenities accounts for more than $1.1 billion in annual economic impact in Coconino County, 40 percent of which is comprised of federal public lands.
• Coconino County has productive and effective working relationships with local, state, and federal partners that have allowed for collaborative development and implementation of critical initiatives, such as the response to the 2010 Shultz Flood, the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Program, and the Four Forest Restoration Initiative.
• Arizona currently lacks an adequate budget to fully support and manage its own state lands, including state parks, forests, and other areas—the state often relies on federal support for wildfire and flood emergencies.
• There is broad consensus on the need to improve public land management and public access by focusing on effective and cooperative management of our federal public lands that includes the appropriate federal, state, tribal, county, and private agencies, plus other local stakeholders.
“Coconino County’s resolution positively recognizes and places value on our traditions of access, recreation, and the application of multiple-use principles on our public lands,” says Art Babbott,Coconino County commissioner for District 1. “It is clear that efforts to transfer or sell our public lands will negatively impact our citizens, communities, and the regional economy. Access and management of our Western landscapes would be significantly altered if the state government attempts to take control of these public assets.”
The resolution emphasizes that the state does not have the financial resources to responsibly manage public lands—and sportsmen’s groups agree. “While federal land management certainly isn’t perfect, transferring these public lands to the state is not a viable solution, especially considering that the vast majority of Arizona sportsmen and women depend on public lands for hunting and fishing,” says John Hamill, Arizona field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Arizona simply does not have the funds to maintain roads and recreation facilities, prevent and fight wildfires, restore damaged wildlife habitat, and enforce laws or prevent abuses. Ultimately, the state would be left with no choice other than to sell these lands, which, once privatized, would be off-limits to hunters and anglers forever.”
County support for public lands has been crucial at a time when the state legislature is considering a study of land transfer. “Coconino County appreciates the importance of federal public lands to the citizens of our state,” says Tom Mackin, the Regional Director for the Arizona Wildlife Federation. “In 2012, voters here and throughout Arizona overwhelmingly rejected the idea of transferring ownership of public lands to the state by a two-to-one margin. Today the Board of Supervisors recognized this fact and affirmed that the latest attempt to circumvent the loud voice of public opinion is a bad idea.”
A growing number of Western counties in states like Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado have recently taken formal positions to oppose the sale or transfer of national public lands. To learn more about the land transfer movement across the country, visit sportsmensaccess.org.
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.
Arizona County Opposes Transfer of America’s Public Lands to the State
Board of Supervisors supports sportsmen’s access and local economies over short-term economic gain
Big news today as the Coconino County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution formally opposing wholesale efforts to transfer America’s public lands to the state of Arizona or local governments. The vote was held amid efforts by an Arizona State Legislature committee to examine processes for transferring or disposing of public lands within the Grand Canyon State.
The final resolution recognizes that:
- Tourism related to federal public lands and recreational amenities accounts for more than $1.1 billion in annual economic impact in Coconino County, 40 percent of which is comprised of federal public lands.
- Coconino County has productive and effective working relationships with local, state, and federal partners that have allowed for collaborative development and implementation of critical initiatives, such as the response to the 2010 Shultz Flood, the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Program, and the Four Forest Restoration Initiative.
- Arizona currently lacks an adequate budget to fully support and manage its own state lands, including state parks, forests, and other areas—the state often relies on federal support for wildfire and flood emergencies.
- There is broad consensus on the need to improve public land management and public access by focusing on effective and cooperative management of our federal public lands that includes the appropriate federal, state, tribal, county, and private agencies, plus other local stakeholders.
“Coconino County’s resolution positively recognizes and places value on our traditions of access, recreation, and the application of multiple-use principles on our public lands,” says Art Babbott,Coconino County commissioner for District 1. “It is clear that efforts to transfer or sell our public lands will negatively impact our citizens, communities, and the regional economy. Access and management of our Western landscapes would be significantly altered if the state government attempts to take control of these public assets.”
The resolution emphasizes that the state does not have the financial resources to responsibly manage public lands—and sportsmen’s groups agree. “While federal land management certainly isn’t perfect, transferring these public lands to the state is not a viable solution, especially considering that the vast majority of Arizona sportsmen and women depend on public lands for hunting and fishing,” says John Hamill, Arizona field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Arizona simply does not have the funds to maintain roads and recreation facilities, prevent and fight wildfires, restore damaged wildlife habitat, and enforce laws or prevent abuses. Ultimately, the state would be left with no choice other than to sell these lands, which, once privatized, would be off-limits to hunters and anglers forever.”
County support for public lands has been crucial at a time when the state legislature is considering a study of land transfer. “Coconino County appreciates the importance of federal public lands to the citizens of our state,” says Tom Mackin, the Regional Director for the Arizona Wildlife Federation. “In 2012, voters here and throughout Arizona overwhelmingly rejected the idea of transferring ownership of public lands to the state by a two-to-one margin. Today the Board of Supervisors recognized this fact and affirmed that the latest attempt to circumvent the loud voice of public opinion is a bad idea.”
A growing number of Western counties in states like Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado have recently taken formal positions to oppose the sale or transfer of national public lands. To learn more about the land transfer movement across the country, visit sportsmensaccess.org.
Glassing The Hill: June 6 – 10
The TRCP’s scouting report on sportsmen’s issues in Congress.
The Senate and House are both in session this week, after a week-long recess. Congress has just about six weeks left until lawmakers leave town for an extended recess that spans both party conventions in Cleveland (RNC) and Philadelphia (DNC).
Conservation groups continue to be wary, but so far no riders have been filed to ruffle feathers on the Senate NDAA. This week, the Senate will continue consideration of its National Defense Authorization Act, and although a sage grouse amendment modeled after the House language was rumored, no such amendment has been filed. Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed a desire to wrap up the bill this week, so any threat to sage-grouse conservation plans would likely move along with the House bill to the NDAA conference.
But summer pool parties and BBQs are on hold until lawmakers get the finances (of the country) in order. It seems likely that individual funding bills may come back to the Senate floor after the chamber clears their NDAA, and that process may take the rest of the summer to complete. The Senate funding bill for the Department of the Interior—a big one for conservation funding levels—has yet to be publicly released.
The House may also try to get the appropriations train back on track this week, after several funding bills were derailed before the Memorial Day break. They have room on the calendar for the Legislative Branch Operations bill, which may be considered under a closed rule to help ensure its passage and avoid contentious amendments (ahem, like the ones that have sunk other spending bills recently.) We got a look at the House FY2017 Interior Appropriations bill, and there are rumors that the bill could be marked up by the subcommittee next week. As of posting this, there is no formal time scheduled for that subcommittee mark-up.
The House could also consider the Puerto Rico debt bill this week, the latest version of which no longer includes a provision allowing the transfer of Vieques National Wildlife Refuge to the commonwealth for short-term economic gain—a win for sportsmen on both sides of the Caribbean.
Here’s what else we’re tracking:
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
EPA’s unfunded mandates, such as the clean water rule, will be discussed in a Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight hearing
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Wildfires and management on tribal lands will be the subject of a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing
Thursday, June 9, 2016
The Clean Power Plan, under scrutiny in a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing
Friday, June 10, 2016
Efficiency standards at the U.S. Department of Energy, to be discussed in a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing
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