“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”
-Theodore Roosevelt, Thanksgiving, 1903
Conservation
Reason Enough
I submitted this letter to the editor to the Staunton News Leader. It ran today.
If you enjoy the great outdoors, especially hunting and fishing on public lands, then President Obama deserves your vote. The simple fact is that without public lands like the George Washington National Forest or the Shenandoah National Park, Valley sportsmen would be hard-pressed to find places to hunt and fish. Even if you don’t hunt or fish, these public lands provide exceptional recreational venues for people to play outside.
Our public lands are also an important economic engine here in the Valley. We have hunting, fishing, biking, hiking and camping shops and an archery manufacturer all close by to Staunton. They all provide sustainable local jobs and help attract visitors to the Valley who buy food and gas, stay in motels, eat in our local restaurants and visit those stores.
The outdoor recreation economy is serious business. It is responsible for 6.1 million direct American jobs, $646 billion in direct consumer spending and $80 billion in combined state, local and federal tax revenue.
President Obama has made outdoor recreation a priority since taking office, and his efforts have been important for sportsmen here in the Valley and across the nation. His America’s Great Outdoor initiative is a concrete example of his emphasis on outdoor recreation. He has consistently looked for ways to expand access and recreational opportunity on public lands. His budget proposals have included funding for critical fish and wildlife conservation programs. He understands that our hunting and fishing traditions and heritage are based on public lands where everyone can have a chance to hunt, fish or enjoy the wild places.
As sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts, we need a president who understands how important public lands are for both recreation and the local economic benefits they provide. President Obama has shown he understands, he has put his words into actions, and he deserves another term in office.
Our Public Lands (Part 1)
Regular readers know that the prevailing theme of the conservation posts on Dispatches is summed up in this simple equation: access to healthy habitat creates recreational opportunity and that creates economic activity and jobs.
By and large that healthy habitat is found on the lands owned by all Americans and managed by federal, state and local governmental agencies on our behalf. If you think about it for a minute without those national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, wildlife management areas, local parks and greenways we would be hard pressed to find places to play outside.
All to often we take these public lands and the people who manage them for granted. We forget that those lands create jobs in many local communities far beyond the governmental jobs. Gas stations, diners, motels, hunting and fishing retail stores, all are small business in local communities that benefit from public lands.
Of course just because I think public lands are a good thing doesn’t mean everyone does. My years as a conservation lobbyist has taught me different. I know there are elected officials who are skeptical about the value of public lands (more on that in future posts).
So what does the general public think about our public lands?
Let’s look at a recent post, “Government does a good job of protecting our natural history” in the Hill’s Congress Blog:
“Fully 87 percent of American voters agree that their “state and national parks, forests, monuments, and wildlife areas are an essential part of my state’s quality of life.” A near-unanimous 96 percent of those we polled in six inner West states likewise agreed.
But voters don’t stop there. Seven-in-ten Americans and nine in ten Westerners agree that these public lands are “an essential part” of their state’s economy. Think about it: in six states with some of the highest proportions of land in public hands, voters were even more likely to view those lands as a valuable economic resource. The numbers quantify what voters tell us in Western focus groups: that public lands bring tourists, hunters, anglers, and other outdoor recreationalists to spend money in their communities; that their neighbors moved there for the clean air, trails, and trout fishing; that a growing company chose their town because they knew future workers would find the nearby natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities desirable too.”
Our public lands are something to be proud of. Maybe it is time we remind our elected officials and the politicians just how proud we are of them.
Give that some thought.
Happy Anniversary S.C.O.F.
Meeting the rascals behind the great quarterly online journal Southern Culture on the Fly this summer at the International Fly Tackle Dealer in Reno, NV was one the highlights of the trip. Dave and Steve have an infectious spirit of mischief that was right up my alley. So having a chance to see them in action was a treat.
This latest issue marks the 0ne year anniversary for the enterprise and it is chock full of great stuff, including a look at the fun that was IFTD and a couple of tunes to download from a Dispatch favorite, the Wrinkle Neck Mules. Here at Dispatches we raise a glass of Knob in their honor to mark this great milestone.
With its terrific photos and great writing S.C.O.F. is like a mini vacation to a sweet fishing spot right there on you computer screen. In between issues you can keep up with the latest news on their blog, Those of us who fish and guide in the southeast are fortunate to have this excellent journal around to chronicle the special magic of fly-fishing in this neck of the woods.
Give S.C.O.F. a read and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out in the future!
The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012
Back in June, Senator Jon Tester, (D-MT) introduced the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 and during consideration of the Farm Bill was able to get it attached as an amendment and included in the version that passed the Senate.
If you are following the news the Farm Bill has been tied up in the U.S. House and prospects for passage are very uncertain. Anyone who knows Senator Tester would not be surprised to hear him referred to as tenacious. And in this case that tenacity is serving sportsmen and conservation well. The word on the Hill is that Tester’s bill might actually get a vote in the Senate before they beat a hasty retreat to wait out the results of the elections.
The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 is a smorgasbord of legislative items that can go a long way to improve the fish and wildlife habitat that makes up the prime venues for hunting and fishing in this country. Senator Tester deserves our thanks and your Senate should hear from you asking them to support The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012. Use this link to send a message to your Senators courtesy of the folks at Keep America Fishing.
Details on The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012
Courtesy of Senator Tester’s office.
Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Access
Making Public Lands Public: This section requires that the 1.5% of annual LWCF funding is made available to secure, through rights-of-way, or the acquisition of lands, or interests from willing sellers, recreational public access to existing federal public lands that have significantly restricted access to hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes. Access is the number one issue for Sportsmen. Finding places to recreate and the loss of access are the top reason sportsmen stop hunting and fishing. In an agency report to Congress (in 2003) found 35 million acres of public land had inadequate access.
Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act: This section amends the Pittman-Robertson Act by adjusting the funding limitations. This allows states more funds available for a longer period of time for the creation and maintenance of shooting ranges. The bill encourages federal land agencies to cooperate with state and local authorities to maintain shooting ranges.
Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act: This bill allows for the Secretary to authorize permits for re-importation of legally harvested Polar Bears from approved populations in Canada before the 2008 ban.
The Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act: This section specifically excludes ammo and fishing tackle from the Toxic Substances Control Act, leaving decisions about tackle to State Fish and Game Agencies and the Fish and Wildlife Service, who currently regulate ammo and tackle. The EPA has denied petitions to regulate tackle and ammo under TSCA in 1994 and again in 2011. This codifies that the EPA does not have the ability to regulate tackle. This includes a savings clause for local, state and other federal regulations.
Bows Transported through National Parks: This provision clarifies the 2007 legislation, and will allow bows to be transported across national park lands. Currently, firearms can be legally transported, but not bows. This poses a practical problem for bow hunters who want to legally hunt on Forest Service or BLM lands, but must cross National Park Service Lands.
Billfish Conservation Act: This section prohibits the sale of Pacific-caught billfish, except in the State of Hawaii, in order to respect traditional fisheries. Billfish (marlin, sailfish and spearfish) populations have declined severely due to overfishing by non-U.S. commercial fishing fleets who harvest billfish as by-catch while targeting other species. More than two decades ago, the United States banned the commercial sale and harvest of Atlantic-caught billfish. Catch-and-release recreational angling for billfish generates many millions of dollars in economic benefits to the U.S. economy each year.
Report on Artificial Reefs in the Gulf of Mexico: This section requires report on the Idle Iron program in order to develop more coordination between agencies and states. This will assure that the interests of recreational fishermen are incorporated into the program.
Habitat Conservation
National Fish Habitat Conservation Act: This section creates a national voluntary grant program to protect and improve fish habitat by improving water quality and quantity across the nation. This section builds on current partnerships to restore waterways and provides an organic statue to authorize the work that the Fish and Wildlife Service is currently performing into one program with an advisory board.
Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act: This section amends the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act so that the Secretary of the Interior, beginning in 2013 for three year periods, can set the amount to be collected for Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps. It will require the Postal Service to collect the amount established by the Secretary for each Stamp that is sold for a hunting year.
Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act: This section would grant the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. It also outlines electronic duck stamp application requirements.
Joint Ventures Authorization: This section creates an organic statute for the Joint Ventures program housed in the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Joint Venture program was established within the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987. This language allows FWS to provide financial and technical assistance to support regional migratory bird conservation partnerships, develop and implement plans for the protection and enhancement of migratory bird populations to support migratory bird conservation.
Reauthorizations
North American Wetlands Conservation Act Reauthorization (NAWCA): This section reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for another five years. NAWCA is a voluntary land-owner friendly initiative that uses incentives to provide valuable matching grants that leverage federal dollars to protect habitat that is critically important for migratory birds, such as ducks and other wildlife. Over the last 20 years, NAWCA has completed over 2,000 conservation project to protect 26.5 million acres of habitat. This voluntary program has over 4,500 partners and has leveraged nearly 3 dollars for every dollar spent by the federal government.
Partners for Fish and Wildlife: This provides provision reauthorizes the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program through 2017. This program works in a non-regulatory, cooperative fashion to help private landowners with habitat restoration on their property. This cost-share program focuses on improving wetland, riparian, in-stream, fish passage, sage-steppe, grassland and aquatic habitats that provide benefits to migratory birds, threatened or endangered species, and other sensitive and declining species.
Neotropical Migratory Birds Reauthorization: This extends the authorization for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Act which allows for voluntary conservation of critical bird habitat with 28 Projects in 26 Countries in 2012. This program leverages four dollars of matching funds for each dollar spent by the federal government.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization: This section reauthorizes the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a non-profit that preserves and restores our nation’s native wildlife species and habitats. Created by Congress in 1984, NFWF directs public conservation dollars to the most pressing environmental needs and matches those investments with private funds. Since its establishment, NFWF has awarded over 11,600 grants to more than 4,000 organizations in the United States, investing a total of $2 billion for conservation.
Multinational Species Conservation Fund Reauthorization: Section reauthorizes appropriations to carry out the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, The Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2003 and the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 for FY2012-FY2017. This will also allow for a five year extension on the corresponding postal stamps.
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act: This section would amend the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010 to require such stamps to be available for an additional four years; and provide five versions depicting African or Asian elephants, a rhinoceros, a tiger, a marine turtle or a great ape.
Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act Reauthorization (FTFLA): This section reauthorizes the BLM’s authority to sell land to private land owners, counties, companies and others for ranching, community development and various projects. This “Land for Land” approach creates jobs and generates funding for BLM, USFS, NPS and USFWS to acquire critical in-holdings from willing sellers. The sales revenue allows agencies to acquire high priority lands with important wildlife habitat value and recreational access for hunting and fishing.
Nutria Eradication and Control Act: This section would amend the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to Maryland, Louisiana and other coastal states for a program to eradicate and control nutria populations.
Outdoor Recreation Means Business
For too long those of us in the outdoor recreation industry have been given a pat on the head and told to “go play outside” by the politicians and policy makers alike. We have been treated as “hobbyists” who don’t really count when it comes to the U.S. economy. Well thanks to a new report, The Outdoor Recreation Economy from the Outdoor Industry Association we can now tell those folks that outdoor recreation means business. And it is time we did.
Play Outside, It’s Good Business
The outdoor recreation economy is serious business. It is responsible for:
- 6.1 million direct American jobs
- $646 billion in direct consumer spending
- $80 billion in combined state, local and federal tax revenue
What concerns me and should concern you, is our elected officials – at all levels of government – give short shrift to that economic activity. They ignore those numbers in favor of other industries who, with their better funded advocacy efforts, have convinced policy makers and politicians that their sector is more important than ours.
When that happens the infrastructure that supports the outdoor recreation economy suffers. We see public land and the recreational opportunities they provide relegated to second class status.
So where does the outdoor recreation economy stack up compared to other sectors? Here are a couple of comparisons:
The $646 billion in direct consumer spending annually is greater than:
- Pharmaceuticals ($331B)
- Motor vehicles and parts ($340B)
- Gasoline and other fuels ($354B)
- Household utilities ($309B)
When it comes to employment the more than 6 million American jobs that are directly dependent on outdoor recreation is greater than:
- Real Estate, Rentals and Leasing (2.0M)
- Oil and Gas (2.1 M)
- Information (2.5M)
- Education (3.5M)
- Transportation and Warehousing (4.3M)
- Construction (5.5M)
- Finance and Insurance (5.8M)
What is important to understand is these comparisons are based on direct economic impact and do not include indirect, implied, multiplier or ripple effects. If those effects were included the economic impact would be substantially larger. According to the report, when outdoor recreation related spending ripples through the economy it creates $1.6 trillion in economic impact and 12 million jobs.
Habitat = Opportunity = Economic Activity.
“Preserving access to outdoor recreation opportunities protects the economy, the businesses, the communities and the people who depend on the ability to play outside.” — OIA’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Report, June 2012.
What underpins this economic activity is the network local, state and federal public lands and waters. A network as important to the economic viability of this country as the other public works infrastructure such as the schools, water treatment, roads and airports we depend on.
When the policy makers and politicians demean our public lands they show either their ignorance (to be charitable) or there political bigotry (more likely). While politicians can be expected to say what they think will get them elected, ignorance has no place in policy making. This report is a powerful, factual tool that should be part of every debate on the value of our public lands and the importance of conservation of those resources.
A National Outdoor Recreation System.
“Outdoor recreation can grow jobs and drive the economy if we manage and invest in parks, waters and trails as a system designed to sustain economic dividends.” — OIA’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Report, June 2012.
Recreational venues in our nation, such as seashores, forests, parks, and wilderness, must be recognized for the important role they play in the economy. These public venues form the foundation of a national outdoor recreation system. Our policy makers should invest more, not less in these important assets to our nation’s economy.
This new report arms us with facts that must be used to show our elected officials just how important outdoor recreation is to our economy. These are undeniable economic, social and health benefits that are no longer “nice to have,” they are a “must have.”
You can help spread the word by emailing the report (here’s the link) to your elected officials. Just tell them: “Outdoor recreation means business,read this!”