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Steven Rinella stresses the importance of conservation funding in the latest TRCP Conservation Field Notes.
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I urge anyone who loves MeatEater–or, for that matter, anyone who loves hunting and fishing and eating wild game–to hurry over and check out the first of our Conservation Field Notes videos. We are making these videos in conjunction with the non-profit Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which received vital sponsorship backing from Bass Pro Shops. The reason that the MeatEater team chose to work with TRCP is summed up nicely by that organization’s rallying cry: Guaranteeing You a Place to Hunt and Fish. We love them for it, and because they wage a nonstop battle for wild lands conservation, day-in and day-out. What’s more, they’re not afraid to take unpopular stances when they know it’s the right thing to do for hunters and anglers. The aim of these Conservation Field Notes is simple: to alert you about specific issues that are imminent threats to our hunting and fishing lands, and to tell you how to join in the battle. So please, get your little butts over to http://www.trcp.org/community/conservation-field-notes. You owe it to yourself and to your kids. –Steven Rinella
First I must say that I am very surprised to hear a fellow hunter claim that the Federal Government can do a better job than our local and state government can in managing the local resources. Anyone who lives in Alaska or who has spent any time in Alaska knows that the Federal Government has more pull over more land than in any of the other 49 States.
As an Alaskan, as a conservationist, and as a hunter I would welcome local and state run government to take the place of the behemoth that the Federal Government has become any day of the week.
It really is eye opening to hear my favorite hunting show host declare that the Federal Government is better at serving me than my local and state run government. It really calls into question whether I should spend my time and advertising dollars on this show or trying finding another.
But maybe us Alaskans take things too personal.
Dear Patsfan, I was distressed to see your comment, particularly because I never once offered a comparison between the abilities of local and federal governments with regards to conservation. When I state that Federal spending is important to conservation, that shouldn’t be taken to mean that state and local spending is not (If I say that I like oranges, that doesn’t mean I hate apples.) The reason that I happened to be talking about federal lands, in that particular instance, was because I was hunting on federal lands. You should also know that, during the episode from which that footage was pulled, I repeatedly addressed the importance of the ADF&G’s work toward managing the mountain goats on that land. Through my experiences in Alaska (I own a place there,) I’ve come to see that many citizens have a distrust of the Federal Government. Perhaps this stems from some embarrassment over the fact that Alaskans receive more federal money (over $20,000 per capita, or almost twice the national average) than the residents of any other state. Whatever the true cause of this distrust, it’s naive to think that federal conservation dollars are somehow nonessential to the broader equation of preserving our hunting and fishing heritage — whether its in Alaska or Florida or Hawaii. Please accept my comments in the spirit of an open dialogue. I appreciate you taking the time to watch the clips, and for taking the time to write. I value your opinion, whether or not I totally agree with it. -SR
Steven,
You’re right, and I’m sorry that I read way too much into what you said. Like I said, sometimes Alaskans take things too personally. One of the reasons we are so distrustful of the Federal Government is because we deal with them more than elsewhere since they own so much of the land here, that’s also why they spend so much more money here (per capita) than elsewhere. When you are forced to deal with a government that is so far away and understands so little about where you live it tends to breed a measure of discontent.
Once again, please accept my apologies for falsely attributing words to you that you never said. Thanks for all the work you are doing on behalf of hunters and conservationists. And thanks for having a forum where we can discuss these important issues, no matter how misguided some of us may be from time to time.
Fellas, It’s great to see an intelligent and civil dialouge here! So often this is lost in the remoteness of internet conversation. It’s also fantastic to have the host of a major outdoor TV show become so involved in conservation and the future of our hunting and angling resources. Here’s to more of these conversations, the better we can understand each other and the issues, the better we can do at solving problems and making sure our children have the same opportunities we do.
Cheers, Matt