The Restoration of Sitka Blacktail Deer Habitat in Southeast Alaska: Part 2

December 10, 2024

In Part I of this two-part series, Bjorn Dihle covered how a significant portion of Southeast Alaska’s young growth forest is about to enter stem exclusion, or is already there. Stem exclusion is when young growth forests have grown so close together they blot out the sun, creating a closed canopy where there is no understory for Sitka blacktails to browse. The Forest Service is currently switching from pre-commercial treatments of young growth to wildlife treatment, which will create more deer and hunting opportunities in the future.

Prince of Wales Island residents Quinn Aboudara and Jim Baichtal are two of the many local residents fighting for the future of Sitka blacktails. Aboudara’s ancestors have been hunting these deer since time immemorial.

“They mean everything to us,” Aboudara said. “I cannot stress how much they mean to us. It’s part of who we are. We are hunters. We are fishermen. We are gatherers. The cost of living in these rural communities is so high. A single deer will save me $1,700 of meat from the store. I can talk about how important deer are to us all day. How deep do we want to go?”

Baichtal moved to Prince of Wales Island in 1990. Since then, he estimates the deer population has dropped 60%, and it’s predicted to continue to decline unless something changes. Baichtal’s devotion to Sitka blacktails is well known as he’s worked with biologists, filmmakers, and conservation groups to advocate for these deer. He and others created the Sitka Black-Tailed Deer Coalition, to help raise awareness for the deer. Baichtal also collaborated with biologist Sophie Gilbert, Sitka Gear, and Randy Newberg’s Fresh Tracks to make Rain Deer, a unique hunting film that’s well worth a watch. Baichtal retired a few years ago from his work as a geologist for the Forest Service, and almost immediately reentered the workforce as the Alaska Regional Coordinator for the Mule Deer Foundation.

Read Part I HERE

As highlighted in the previous blog, Southeast Alaska has the opportunity to complete restoration work on thousands of acres of young growth forest that’s entered stem exclusion in a way that will benefit deer and other wildlife. Baichtal and Aboudara—the coordinator for Klawock Indigenous Stewards Forest Partnership—are working with the Forest Service, along with a number of Tribes, communities, and non-profits, to help with these restoration projects. Baichtal and Scott Leorna, the Alaska Regional Conservation Coordinator for the Mule Deer Foundation, have big plans for the future.

“What will happen if you open a stand is pretty well understood,” Baichtal said. “We have an incredible opportunity with the volume of our older young growth. It’s like 400,000 to 600,000 acres of young growth that could be treated for wildlife.”

Baichtal and Leorna are waiting for money from Congress to begin restoration work. In the meantime, they’re busy strategizing with partners to deliberately plan out protocol and procedures. This includes community outreach so “priorities are reflected in the treatments and areas considered.” They are also developing a monitoring strategy to measure the outcomes of treatments and exploring how to make wildlife treatments economically feasible.

The Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy

The USDA announced the Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy in July of 2020. The strategy aims “to support a diverse economy, enhance community resilience, and conserve natural resources in Southeast Alaska.”

SASS has four main components:

To end large-scale old-growth timber sales on Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest and focus management resources to support forest restoration, recreation, and resilience, including for wildlife habitat and watershed improvement.
To restore conservation management to undeveloped roadless areas.
To engage in meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations.
To identify short- and long-term opportunities for investments that reflect the diverse opportunities and needs in the region.

Money from SASS went to a variety of projects that fit the above criteria, including salmon stream and wildlife habitat restoration work. SASS funding also went to Angoon’s Native corporation, Kootznoowoo, Inc., so it could explore the possibility of opening a bear viewing area nearby. Kootznoowoo hired me to help out with that project. SASS has allowed Kootznoowoo to establish a guide academy to help locals learn about guiding bear viewing and guiding other types of outdoor recreation around their community.

The Forest Service writes, “In alignment with SASS, the Forest Service is refocusing resources on the Tongass National Forest to implement an integrated forest management program that includes watershed and wildlife habitat restoration, sustainable young-growth harvest, and old-growth harvest for small timber sales and cultural uses.”

SASS helped lift the restoration work headed by Quinn Aboudara and the Klawock Indigenous Stewards Forest Partnership off the ground.

“SAAS investment gave us the kick we needed to get things going. It continues to support us. I can’t say enough for what it’s done,” said Aboudara.

“[Sitka blacktails] mean everything to us,” Quinn Aboudara said. “I cannot stress how much they mean to us. It’s part of who we are. We are hunters. We are fishermen. We are gatherers.”

The partnership used SASS money to train field crews on how to complete wildlife thinning and stream restoration, buy equipment, and pay crew wages. They began wildlife treatments in 2021. Aboudara’s crew was very experienced doing pre-commercial thinning, but they had to take a different approach for wildlife.

“The problem comes with slash treatments,” Aboudara said. “The past 40 years of slash has not been treated. There’s slash that’s 12 feet deep and it’s a huge barrier to wildlife movement and forage. Wildlife treatment’s emphasis is to get slash as close as possible to the ground so it deteriorates faster and grows forage. You have to go slower and you end up cutting corridors for wildlife. It’s all about enhancing habitat. One example is blueberry bushes. They’re key forage, especially winter forage, for deer. Wildlife thinning stays out of blueberry patches and opens up surrounding areas.”

Deer for Generations to Come

Aboudara believes in the future that all thinning areas should receive wildlife treatments.

“I was raised in an Alaska Native household. These deer are part of who we are. The fact I can take my kids up the mountain behind my house to hunt deer—that was the mountain I began hunting when I was nine-years-old. This year I’m going to take my seven-year-old up there and teach them about deer and how to provide for our family,” Aboudara said.

The Mule Deer Foundation is planning to start more chapters across Alaska. Baichtal and Leorna encourage folks to get involved in grassroots efforts and make their voices heard with anything involving Sitka blacktails.

“It’s incredible what Sitka blacktails mean to people across Southeast Alaska,” Baichtal said. “We’re excited to put boots on the ground and help deer numbers come back.”

Bjorn Dihle is an avid hunter, conservationist, and lifelong resident of Southeast Alaska.

Read Part I of this two-part series HERE.

Photos courtesy of Bjorn Dihle.

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by: Jaclyn Higgins

posted in: Habitat and Clean Water

December 9, 2024

2024 Forage Fish Conservation Wrap-Up

A year-end update on our top four successes, and our 2025 forecast for menhaden and herring conservation

As 2024 wraps up, we’re excited to share this year’s key achievements in forage fish conservation made by TRCP, our partners, and dedicated members along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Forage fish like menhaden and herring are small but vital—they play a critical role in marine food webs and feed popular sportfish such as striped bass, redfish, bluefish, and speckled trout. There’s still a lot to accomplish in 2025 to protect these important species, but with your continued support, we’re ready to dive into the work ahead.

Our Top Four Forage Fish Successes of 2024

1. We successfully advocated for a half-mile buffer zone for industrial menhaden fishing in Louisiana

Our efforts with Coastal Conservation Association Louisiana led to a substantial decrease in fish spills, demonstrating clear ecological benefits. In 2024, the number of Gulf menhaden (or “pogies”) spilled due to industrial fishery operations dropped to approximately 350,000 – or only 26 percent of the annual average of 1.3 million fish recorded between 2013 and 2023. This represents a reduction of nearly 1 million fewer dead fish compared to previous seasons. The buffer was introduced in response to widespread concerns over wasteful fish spills, fouled beaches, and the loss of thousands of redfish caught as bycatch. Historically, these spills were frequent due to net tears occurring when fishing vessels operated in shallow waters near shore, damaging both marine habitats and spawning grounds. The regulation, enacted in April 2024, prohibits pogy boats from fishing within a half-mile of Louisiana’s coast, with extensions up to 3 miles in certain areas. This measure aims to protect sensitive nearshore ecosystems, which serve as vital habitats for forage species like menhaden and sportfish such as redfish and speckled trout. Public records from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries indicate this year’s spill numbers were the second-lowest since data collection began in 2013, with only 2013 showing fewer losses.

2. We supported the establishment of a work group focused on the Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishery

In August, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Menhaden Management Board voted to establish a work group to explore precautionary management measures for the Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishery, with the goal of protecting predator species like ospreys and striped bass. Atlantic menhaden are crucial to the Bay’s ecosystem, serving as a primary food source for a variety of marine animals, including ospreys, which have struggled with chick-rearing success due to a lack of menhaden for food. The workgroup will focus on creating precautionary measures – such as time and area closures – during critical feeding periods for predators, addressing gaps in current management that do not explicitly consider the dietary needs of ospreys. The goal is to ensure the sustainability of the menhaden population and protect the health of the Bay’s predators while awaiting more detailed stock assessments in 2025.

Click here to demand better science for better management of Chesapeake Bay menhaden

3. Our voices were heard during scoping for Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Management Plan

Public scoping occurred this spring at the New England Fishery Management Council. The ongoing decline of the Atlantic herring stock has sparked support for Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Management Plan, aimed at addressing overfishing, minimizing conflicts with recreational anglers, and improving conservation efforts. Public input during scoping overwhelmingly supported stricter management measures, such as time and area closures and gear restrictions to protect herring and related species like river herring and shad, including nearly 900 comments in support of further management actions to defend herring and supported economies. At its June 2024 meeting, the NEFMC published an updated Atlantic herring stock assessment which showed that the herring stock is not successfully rebuilding and continues to be in recruitment failure. Based on these results, the Council recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is responsible for setting annual catch limits, take immediate action to decrease the 2025 catch by 86 percent, effectively closing the fishery to all but small-scale bait fisheries. This lowered quota will essentially prevent the industrial midwater trawl fleet from operating in 2025, and while it is a severe (albeit short-term) loss for New England fishermen who rely on herring for bait, this move will allow the herring stock to begin recovering, while also decreasing the amount of river herring and shad that are caught as bycatch.

4. We successfully advocated for the reintroduction of the bipartisan Forage Fish Conservation Act

The act was reintroduced in the U.S. House this September by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Brian Mast (R-FL). The FFCA seeks to improve the management and conservation of federally managed forage species like Atlantic herring and mackerel. These species are crucial to the marine food web, supporting predators such as humpback whales, bluefin tuna, and striped bass. The legislation aims to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Act by requiring fishery managers to evaluate the ecological importance of forage fish, account for predator needs, and assess the impacts of new commercial fisheries before opening them. The act also emphasizes the need for science-based conservation measures to prevent overfishing and protect the health of marine ecosystems. As forage fish populations have declined due to overfishing and habitat loss – especially in species like river herring and shad – this legislation will help sustain both the environment and the $138 billion recreational fishing economy, which supports nearly 700,000 jobs nationwide.

Our Forage Fish Conservation Forecast for 2025

Gulf Menhaden

As the Gulf menhaden fishery continues to be shaped by evolving regulations, the TRCP is working toward a transition to ecosystem-based fisheries management, which will involve comprehensive scientific studies. In 2022, with the support of TRCP and partners, the Louisiana Legislature allocated $1 million to fund a bycatch study aimed at understanding the effects of Gulf menhaden harvest. The study aims to explore seasonal bycatch patterns, focusing on how predator (e.g., redfish) interactions with menhaden schools may influence bycatch during critical breeding seasons. The findings, which are expected to be published in early 2025, will provide valuable insights into how industrial fishing affects predator diets, food availability, and mortality, particularly during key times like redfish breeding season in the fall. These results will be instrumental in guiding our efforts in 2025.

Atlantic Menhaden

Next fall, the latest stock assessment updates for Atlantic menhaden will be published. The ASMFC’s Menhaden Management Board will consider updates to the ecological reference points (ERPs), based on the results of two key assessments: a single-species stock assessment, which evaluates the overall health of the menhaden stock, and an ERP stock assessment, which examines how menhaden abundance impacts predator species, particularly striped bass. The TRCP and its partners are pushing for the inclusion of essential data in these assessments, such as natural mortality rates for menhaden, updated predator diet information (especially regarding ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay), and detailed geographic and seasonal data. The goal is to ensure that ERP targets, coastwide quotas, and state allocations are set to maintain adequate menhaden populations to support predator diets. The TRCP will also continue to support the work of the Chesapeake Bay Menhaden Work Group to encourage a balanced management framework that minimizes the localized impacts of menhaden harvest, ultimately contributing to the recovery and sustainability of both menhaden populations and the predators that rely on them.

Atlantic Herring

Work to advocate for the implementation of Amendment 10 to the Atlantic herring fishery will continue throughout next year, with final completion of the amendment expected by the NEFMC in 2026. While the herring fishery’s quota will be significantly reduced over the next few fishing seasons, TRCP and partner efforts to address location and area restrictions and better management of Atlantic herring to minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, support rebuilding of the herring resource, and develop protections for river herring and shad caught incidentally by the midwater trawl fleet will serve to augment the council’s quota decreases and support the stock rebuilding plan. To achieve optimum yield and a truly sustainable fishery for decades to come, spatial protections such as those defined by Amendment 10 will be critical for New England’s forage base and the predators that feed on them.

Learn More About Forage Fish

Learn more about how forage fish drive sportfishing and underpin healthy marine ecosystems, and stay tuned for more updates about our forage fish conservation efforts in the coming year. As always, feel free to reach out to our team at any time.

Banner image courtesy Joanna Steidle; image of osprey with menhaden courtesy Chesapeake Bay Program; herring image courtesy 16:9Clue

by: Guest Author Bjorn Dihle

posted in: Habitat and Clean Water

December 4, 2024

The Restoration of Sitka Blacktail Deer Habitat: Part 1

In this two-part series, Bjorn Dihle examines how restoration work of young growth forest by the Forest Service in collaboration with nonprofits, Tribes, and state and private partners will help Southeast Alaska’s Sitka blacktail deer population in the Tongass National Forest

My brother and I were hiking up a ridge in Southeast Alaska when we spotted a group of six Sitka blacktail bucks. There was no practical way to get within rifle range, so we spent the next few hours tunneling through the jungle and climbing cliffs until we were in good shooting position.

A short while later, the sun set on an expanse of mountains and ocean as I butchered a big, fat buck. Occasionally, I’d stand, look around, and listen for brown bears. There are a lot where we hunt, which makes for occasional excitement. It was completely dark by the time my brother and I had our deer quartered and buried in a snow slope.

That night, I sliced and then boiled my deer’s heart for dinner. I added a handful of the plant “deer heart,” which tastes like arugula. The buck had been eating the plant when I pulled the trigger. I enjoyed my meal beneath a still, starry night and thought back to three decades ago when I was a kid making my first Sitka blacktail hunts. Not long after I killed my first buck, I had the realization that I’d rather chase these deer than do pretty much anything else.

I still feel that way.

Bjorn Dihle with an early season Sitka blacktail.

I’m far from alone in my appreciation of Sitka blacktails. This rainforest mule deer subspecies may not be well known outside of Alaska, but for locals, as well as visiting hunters, they are a treasure. In 30 or so communities that make up Southeast Alaska, one of the most appreciated gifts you can offer someone is venison. This generosity is usually followed by the receiver of the gift telling you that there’s no better meat in the world.

Trouble in Paradise

Southeast Alaska can feel like a Shangri-la for hunters and anglers. With fishing for salmon and other saltwater species, and big game populations that still support over-the-counter tags for non-residents, it may appear there is plenty of wildlife to go around. However, the region faces some serious issues.

On Prince of Wales Island, the deer population has dropped significantly during the last few decades. The population is predicted to continue on a negative trend unless something changes. If a big winter mortality event occurs, POW’s deer may not recover. To the north, on the central islands, deer numbers are not near what they once were.

A Sitka blacktail buck and brown bear in northern Southeast Alaska.

Deer populations are influenced dramatically by winter weather, and some of the recent die-offs have been near apocalyptic. Diminished old growth wintering habitat and lack of forest connectivity contributes to deer declines. In the past, logging efforts in Southeast Alaska were rarely done with wildlife in mind. Much of the best winter habitat for deer, the large old growth that protect animals from deep snows, has been clear-cut. Combine a bad winter with a lack of winter habitat and predation by wolves and bears and you end up with a recipe for an extreme deer disaster.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game writes that, “Clearcut logging has and will continue to further reduce deer carrying capacity in some areas. Of more concern (than severe winters), habitat capability and deer numbers are expected to decline in some areas as large tracts of previously logged areas reach the closed canopy stem exclusion stage and become extremely poor deer habitat.”

Stem exclusion is when young growth forests have grown so close together they blot out the sun, creating a closed canopy where there is no understory for Sitka blacktails to browse. If these trees aren’t thinned, a Southeast Alaska forest stand in the stem exclusion phase may languish in this unproductive state for several decades to a century.

Searching for a Solution

In parts of Southeast Alaska, trappers have tried hard for decades to take enough wolves so deer populations can rebound. In some areas, their efforts have been successful on a short-term scale. Wolves are prolific breeders, though, and even with significant trapping effort, deer numbers remain poor in the central islands and are declining on POW. Studies have shown that those regions’ ample populations of black bears also prey on blacktails as they take a significant percentage of fawns. Despite the number of predators harvested, there still won’t be good numbers of deer unless there’s quality habitat.

“Fifteen to thirty years after a forest has been harvested is the best time to get in and do thinning for wildlife,” said Gregory Dunn. “We have about 200,000 acres in that framework. In ten years, we’ll be out of that window. Not much else you can do then but pre-commercial and gap treatments. The time is now.”

One long-term solution is wildlife thinning (wildlife treatments) of young growth forests that have entered stem exclusion. This is done by thinning trees and treating slash (trees cut and left on the ground) in a particular way to allow sunlight in and the understory to grow. This in turn offers better forage for deer and better wildlife habitat overall. Thinning has occurred throughout Southeast Alaska, but until recently, it has only been pre-commercial thinning—called pre-commercial treatments. Pre-commercial treatments are done in a way that helps grow trees to be harvested but does little for wildlife. Slash, which can be stacked 10 feet high, is left on the ground. Deer can’t travel through slash, creating habitat connectivity issues and what are essentially “islands of deer.”

Forest Service Tongass Wildlife Program Manager Gregory Dunn points out that nothing can grow for deer to browse once young growth enters stem exclusion and how it’s pressing that we do something about it now.

“Fifteen to thirty years after a forest has been harvested is the best time to get in and do thinning for wildlife,” said Dunn. “We have about 200,000 acres in that framework. In ten years, we’ll be out of that window. Not much else you can do then but pre-commercial and gap treatments. The time is now.”

Sitka blacktails in the high country in August.

Wildlife Treatments

There are around 1,000-2,000 trees an acre in stands of young growth being considered for thinning. In the past, a silviculturist decided where crews would do pre-commercial treatments. Dunn says that now, with the new emphasis on co-stewardship of the forest, locals, Tribes, and state and private partners are involved with choosing which young growth stands will be treated. Wildlife treatments are different than pre-commercial treatments in that a crew goes into a stand with a goal of trying to trigger understory growth as well as enhance travel corridors and habitat in other ways. Dunn says the policy is that if trees have an average greater than a five-to-six-inch diameter, then the crew takes the slash out. If the average diameter is less, then the slash is left on the ground.

“You can’t get all the slash out,” said Dunn. “Wildlife treatments take more time and cost more than pre-commercial treatments. Afterwards, the understory comes back pretty fast, but it generally takes a decade or so for deer habitat to come back if slash was left at the site.”

The Forest Service is working with nonprofits, Tribes, and communities on wildlife and watershed restoration projects in different locations in Southeast Alaska. While wildlife treatments take time, Dunn and others hope that thinning and timber harvest is done in a way to enhance or maintain quality habitat for wildlife in the future.

“It’s a huge issue to keep deer from disappearing, as deer are vital for residents of Southeast Alaska,” said Dunn.

Knowing how much people care about Sitka blacktails, it’s a safe guess that hunters will do everything they can to keep that from happening.

Bjorn Dihle is an avid hunter, conservationist and lifelong resident of Southeast Alaska.

Look for Part II of this series on Sitka blacktail conservation in Southeast Alaska soon.

Photos courtesy of Bjorn Dihle.

TRCP works to maintain and strengthen the future of hunting and fishing by uniting and amplifying our partners’ voices in conserving and restoring wildlife populations and their habitat as challenges continue to evolve. Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to healthy habitat and clean water HERE.

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Habitat and Clean Water

Hunters and Anglers Applaud House Passage of the Bipartisan ACE Reauthorization Act

The legislation aims to boost funding and provide vital enhancements to conservation programs benefiting fish and wildlife.

The America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act of 2024 passed the House on Tuesday December 3, 2024, in a 366-21 vote. The ACE Reauthorization act was sponsored by Representatives Wittman (R-Va.), Kiggans (R-Va.), Dingell (D-Mich.), and Thompson (D-Calif.) and would reauthorize multiple programs that benefit hunting and angling including, the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It also helps address threats like chronic wasting disease. This reauthorization provides technical improvements, administrative streamlining, and increased authorized funds to improve these programs.

“The America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act will benefit fish and wildlife while enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for millions of hunters and anglers,” said Joel Pedersen, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “TRCP applauds the House’s passage of this important bipartisan legislation and looks forward to building on the success of these crucial conservation programs that will benefit hunters and anglers for generations to come.”

The original ACE Act was passed in 2020 and portions of it were sponsored by Representatives Wittman, Dingell, and Thompson. Many of its authorizations expire next year, necessitating the passage of the ACE Reauthorization Act to ensure these programs can continue to operate in good legal standing.

The legislation is endorsed by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the National Audubon Society.

The ACE Reauthorization Act of 2024 now heads back to the Senate, which passed a different version of the ACE Reauthorization Act by unanimous consent earlier this year.

by: Ryan Lockwood

posted in: Habitat and Clean Water

November 20, 2024

In the Arena: Capt. Chris Dollar

TRCP’s “In the Arena” series highlights the individual voices of hunters and anglers who, as Theodore Roosevelt so famously said, strive valiantly in the worthy cause of conservation.

Chris Dollar

Hometown: Rappahannock River, VA
Occupation: Principal, CD Outdoors’ Communications; writer/editor/educator, conservationist, fishing guide, and owner/operator of TackleCove.com – a light tackle, fly fishing, and kayak outfitter.
Conservation credentials: Chesapeake Region Conservation Consultant and member of Government Relations Committee for Coastal Conservation Association; Conservation Director for Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association.

An all-purpose outdoors professional since 1994, think of Capt. “C” Dollar as the Swiss Army knife of the Chesapeake Bay’s sporting and conservation realm. He has three decades’ experience as an outdoors professional who has held a fishing guide license and a U.S. Coast Guard Master’s License since the 1990s. He is also an avid waterfowl hunter and amateur birder. He works with several conservation organizations and coalitions – including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, and TRCP. Originally formed in 1999, his CD Outdoors brand has morphed into a conservation communications consultancy focused on Bay fishery and habitat issues. (Dollar notes that CD Outdoors’ logo is of an osprey feeding menhaden to its chicks, taken from a photograph he took in the early 2000s, and in the past two years there are growing concerns that there may not be enough menhaden to feed some osprey chicks on some lower Bay tributaries due to industrial menhaden fishing.)

His columns cover important issues such as the impacts of the industrial-scale menhaden reduction fishery on recreational angling and the Bay’s habitat, wildlife, and water quality. Over the years, his columns have regularly appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, PropTalk, and the Capital Gazette, the latter of which continues to run his weekly conservation column. He also pens a bi-weekly blog on TackleCove.com.

Here is his story.

Growing up on Chesapeake Bay, fishing and crabbing was just something we did as kids. It wasn’t until right after college that I took fishing more seriously, especially with regards to related conservation efforts, which are a necessary part of any outdoorsperson’s tool kit. My grandfather was a hunter, but he passed before I got a chance to know him, so I did not grow up in a hunting household. In 1996, my college lacrosse teammate and his father took me under their wing and introduced me to waterfowl hunting when I was in my mid-20s. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Like most folks who spend a lot of time out-of-doors, I have memorable adventures. One that stands out was when we were hunting the grass flats and marshes of Pocomoke Sound for wigeon, pintails, and gadwall. We’d had a very good hunt, but by midday the wind really picked up and it switched around and came at us from the northeast. The boat ramp was about 9 miles away and the cut-through in the marsh to the ramp was blown out – there was no water in it. So, we had to go into the teeth of the blow via Tangier Sound.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Bay, Tangier Sound is pretty big water with stretches of deep water and shoals. In a 20-foot open boat loaded with decoys, two grown men, and a Chesapeake Bay retriever, with wind chill temps close to the single digits, well, that was a bit of a white-knuckler.

Though I love hunting and angling on the Bay, I hope to someday go fishing for sea-run fish in Patagonia. It seems so wild and expansive. On the hunting side, it would be great to flush upland birds and call in waterfowl somewhere wild and remote, like the upper Midwest or remote Canada. What I’d really like to do, however, is time travel back to when canvasbacks blackened the Chesapeake skies and rafted together in thousands on the Susquehanna Flats.

Dramatic changes in the Bay have taken place over the past century. Once abundant fish and wildlife populations and vibrant habitats are diminished. Helping to protect and restore the Chesapeake is a huge reason why I am so involved in conservation, both for fisheries and birds. That said, we also need to understand that eating wild game and fish is important. That’s especially true for me, even if I’m not able to do it as much as I used to. Getting older ain’t for sissies.

“We need to value all forage fish – shads, river herrings, and menhaden – for what they mean to the entire ecosystem, and not just their dockside value.”

The top conservation priorities for the Chesapeake Bay include rebuilding habitat, conserving and protecting gamefish and forage fish (such as Atlantic menhaden and herring), and enhancing access to fisheries, especially for newcomers. Rebuilding the striper fishery, and maintaining the quality fisheries for red drum and cobia and other gamefish we have in the Bay, will not and cannot be done just through regulation of recreational or commercial fishing.

Rebuilding critical habitats – oyster reefs and seagrass beds – and improving water quality are also part of the solution, as are sensible and reasonable regulations for the large-scale industrialized reduction fishery for menhaden. Overall, we need to value all forage fish – shads, river herrings, and menhaden (bunker) – for what they mean to the entire ecosystem, and not just their dockside value. These are public resources, not commodities for a select few.

It is our moral obligation to not just protect and conserve what is left, but to enhance the natural capital remaining that we’ve been gifted. We are stewards of all waters, salt and fresh, and our marshes, woods, and mountains. Simple as that. None of it is ours. It belongs to the “now” as well as the future.

I have no understanding – or patience, frankly – of those who choose to recklessly use natural resources for short-term gains. It is anathema to me. It matters not if you’re a big-game hunter, a day hiker, or a casual angler or birder. America’s, and the world’s, wild places are inextricably linked to what it means to be human, and what it means to be alive. They belong to everyone.

All images credit Chris Dollar