fly fishing, conservation and politics.
By Tom Sadler
Been thinking about hatcheries lately.
The next year’s budget for federal fish hatcheries got hit with the budget axe and there are some folks who are pretty sore about it. The “whys” and “wherefores” are complicated. You are gonna have to take my word on that part. That is not something frankly I feel much like writing about.
Read more after the jump > [Read more…] about Thinking About – Fish Hatcheries
By Tom Sadler
Here are a few things that came up on the radar screen this week…
read it all after the jump > [Read more…] about In case you missed it…
By Tom Sadler
I have been part of a conversation with some folks over on the Outdoor Blogger Network‘s forum about conservation funding.
We are talking about what “we” can afford and who is paying their fair share. So when I read E. J. Dionne’s What if we’re not broke? this morning it got my attention. It offers an intriguing look at the “we’re broke” matra and what is behind it.
Some of us are going broke, or at least headed that way. It sort of depends on who “we” are however. There are some folks doing very well and some options off that table that perhaps should not be.
Worth the read.
And don’t be surprised if it becomes grist for the discussion over on OBN…
By Tom Sadler
When Bob Marshal wrote, This will be the year that will test the commitment of the outdoors community, he gave us fair and early warning of the assault on conservation that was coming.
The conservation battles sportsmen fought to protect fish and wildlife habitat in the past may seem like speed bumps to the wall being raised in Washington this year.
Hal Herring took up the battle cry when he wrote Are There Any Politicians Who Really Understand Sportsmen’s Concerns?
What is disturbing is that we seem to have lost any conservative political leaders who understand sportsmen’s concerns, or, in the same vein, who recognize that there can be value in undisturbed land, or waters, or that intact ecosystems, with their healthy game and fish populations, also hold economic value in producing clean water, clean air, grazing, wildlife, flood or invasive weed control, all those elements that may not always add to the bottom line of corporate profit, but are the actual bottom line of life on this planet.
Not long after that Kirk Deeter added his voice in Should Conservation Be a Political Issue?
In my humble opinion, conservation shouldn’t be a political issue. It should be a cultural issue. And in that regard, I think those doing the real heavy lifting to protect wild places for fishing and hunting aren’t so much “green” as they are “camo.”
Yesterday Deeter sounded the alarm loud and strong in his reaction to the US House of Representatives passage of HR1, Proposed Conservation Funding Cuts Could Devastate Fly Fishing Resources.
HR1 is a bill in Congress right now that would slash funding for a number of important conservation programs that impact fly fishing from coast to coast. I don’t care what your political persuasion is…if you’re a fly fisher, this should concern you, because any threat to habitat is a threat to opportunity. And in many cases, once a resource is gone, it’s gone.
He joins calls to action from Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited!
By Tom Sadler
Now we are talking!
Here in Virginia we have a Lt. Governor, Bill Bolling, who loves to fly fish which is great in and of itself.
More importantly he “gets it” when it comes to the how important fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation is to Virginia’s economy.
Check it out!
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M46moS7YvoA
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By Tom Sadler
Looks like a couple of dirtbags are on the loose and ripping off fly shops in Colorado.
This is no joke. Pass the word!
All Points Bulletin: Thieves Targeting Colorado Fly Shops | Angling Trade.
A well-orchestrated group of of thieves is targeting Colorado fly shops. So far they have made off with several thousand dollars in merchandise. The group is stealing high end product. Among the shops hit thus far: Laughing Grizzly, Angler’s All, Charlie’s Fly Box, Trout’s Fly Shop, Orvis Cherry Creek, and Rocky Mountain Anglers.
Thefts occurred February 2-3.
Suspects are two couples, Middle Eastern or Latin in appearance, well groomed and dressed fashionably. Once couple distracts the store staff while the other steals merchandise. Suspects have called ahead and
verified that you are indeed a specialty fly shop. Cell phone area codes that have been used are (402) and (815). A Maroon passenger van with an Illinois license plate # K714 248 was used by the suspects.Below is the only photo of the suspects that is available at this time.
BE ON ALERT! Protect your business, and if you get a chance to pinch these crooks by calling the police, do it!
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