Are hunters, anglers and other outdoorsmen doomed to remain factionalized splinter groups – at each other’s throats rather than working together to preserve the outdoors?
From New West’s online magazine comes an article about the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership – a conservation group committed to the idea that outdoorsmen are easily fragmented by the forces arrayed against them.
From the article:
Americans, Range says, are tired of division—hunters and anglers especially. For him, the power of this new old movement will be defined by what outdoorspeople are in favor of, not what they are against.
Worth a read!
[tags]new west, hunters, anglers, conservation, TRCP[/tags]
Flyfisherbeings and hunters will never coalesce into a politically powerful group. I don’t even see a viable potluck dinner.
The general public see flyfishermen as an undifferentiated group of silly elitist jerks. They’re wrong, of course. Left alone we self-separate into infinitely more exclusionary elitist cliques: cane rod guys, dry fly snobs (surprised you haven’t gotten a flame yet about your recent weighted streamer transgression), people who only fish silk lines and then tipped only with leaders from their own silkworm stable. How ARE your mulberries growing? Petty persnicketiness doesn’t beget coalition building.
Then, once you realize that WE’RE unbearable, just broach the subject of the Second Amendment with any hunter’s group you encounter. Be prepared for clinical mania.
Of course I could be wrong..
Sully(Quote)
Perhaps you have a point, but then again, I’ve seen you fish graphite fly rods
you sleazy bastard, so I’m supposed to take your word for it?Tom Chandler(Quote)
Tom,
thanks for the link to the new west article. Having been a member of TRCP for some time, I am enjoying it. I like the convenience of the information I receive. I have found that I contact my legislators 99% more often now, than previously. Aside from the shameless election fundraising emails from both political parties, thankfully that has passed, I have also received some fairly responsive form letters.
If you don’t choose to join TCRP, at least you should rent ‘Secondhand Lions’ this winter. Or go http://www.secondhandlions.com/ . The shotgun fishing scenes are priceless. No zippers on their waders.
ML
Mark Latham(Quote)