 Will these ‘stars’ shine as brightly in the future? by John Street It’s hard to know exactly when the change took place because we didn’t just wake up one morning to find things were different. With the perspective of time, it seems like it got started back in the late 1970s and was pretty well underway by the mid 1980s but there is evidence the seeds for this change were in place long before then. Without assigning a label of “Good” or “Bad” to what has taken place, I believe anyone near the age of 50 can accept the fact that, sometime back in the late 1970s, hunting and fishing transitioned from being mere utilitarian hunter/gatherer activities to full blown commercial ventures. Today, lest there be any doubt that the transformation is complete, there is a full-blown economic impact statement available that declares hunting and fishing are “a $76 billion economic force” here in the United States(1). Furthermore, the preparers of this report have concluded that, through the purchases of licenses, related gear and travel, hunters and anglers “directly support 1.6 million jobs … And they generate $25 billion a year in federal, state and local taxes.” It’s way too early to tell whether this change is for better or worse but, whatever the future brings, this is the sword that hunting and fishing will either live or die by. The inescapable consequence, however, is that hunting and fishing have become just another commercialized pastime, no different than NASCAR or organized team sports, and now must compete with all the other pastimes vying for young people’s time. In a recent edition of the popular Field & Stream magazine, Conservation Editor Bob Marshal had an excellent article titled, “Why Johnny won’t hunt.” Supported by solid research conducted by the US Fish & Wildlife Service(2), Bob concluded that, despite all the economic and societal issues infringing on young people’s time, Johnny won’t hunt because we – experienced, current participants in these pastimes - won’t take him. From the perspective of the people that Bob interviewed for this article and the USF&WS survey he cites, this is a logical conclusion. But his conclusion is like saying the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl because they had the superior quarterback; maybe so, maybe not. But the question on everyone’s mind now is, can they do it again next year. Without doubt, Bob Marshall’s conclusion was correct. There are a lot of Johnnies and Joans who won’t hunt because we won’t take them. The bigger question is, however, whether those young boys and girls will be able to hunt and fish in the future. And the answer to that question isn’t as simple as taking our youth outdoors. At about the same time hunting and fishing began evolving into a “$76 billion economic force,” a new environmental ethos was taking root here in the United States . Today, according to a report(3) published by the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, this environmental movement has blossomed into a multi-billion dollar, tightly controlled consortium of both fringe and mainstream environmental organizations (lavishly funded by a handful of wealthy foundations) that is attempting to blur the line between traditional hunter/angler groups and the environmental movement (Author’s note: I have previously referred to this consortium as a “cabal.” I stand by that term) Unbeknownst to – or, perhaps, unacknowledged by - most who advocate for a partnership between the environmental movement and the “$76 billion economic force,” there is a little known document called “Agenda 21”(4) that spells out prescriptions and action plans for, among a long list of other frightening things, taking away hunters’ and anglers’ guns and curtailing their access to land that is held in the public domain. Agenda 21(4) is, “a program run by the United Nations related to sustainable development. It is a comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the UN, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans impact on the environment.” The “major groups” referred to in this description are identified in the text of the Agenda 21 document as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which are, almost without exception, the same environmental organizations that are attempting to co-op hunters and anglers into their movement. As this nation’s original conservationists, hunters and anglers have a long and distinguished history of being at the forefront of the fight to protect and preserve wildlife and wild places. It was logical, therefore, that when the environmental ethos took hold back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, hunters and anglers would put their time and money into addressing these new environmental concerns. But the environmentalists that hunters and anglers allied with in those early days of this nation’s awakening have chosen a new course, a course more aligned with the “Sustainable Development”(5) initiatives of the United Nations than with making certain that Johnny always has a place to hunt and fish Now those environmental groups want to co-opt hunter and anglers to be their “Poster Children,” sacrificing a century of conservation credibility on the pantheistic alter of Agenda 21. What is most alarming, however, is that several national hunter/angler organizations(3) have already joined ranks with the environmentalists. Lured by the enormous foundation largess bestowed on those willing to proselytize for the new green agenda (the UN’s Agenda 21), they seem unable to comprehend or, are unwilling to publicly acknowledge their support for, the socio/economic Armageddon that will ensue when the sovereignty of the United States is subjugated to the socialistic prescriptions of the United Nations. Hunting and fishing are indeed bright stars of the American economy but the real question isn’t “Why Johnny won’t hunt.” We know “why” and can do something about that. No, the real question is, “Will those ‘stars’ shine as brightly in the future?” References: (1) “Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy” - www. nssf.org; (2) National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: National Overview - www.fws.gov; (3) “The NODOG Cluster” - www.greentrackinglibrary.com; (4) Wikipedia - www.wikipedia.com; (5) “Understanding Sustainable Development: A Guide for Public Officials” - www.americanpolicy.org. John Street is an inquisitive contrarian who writes, frequently with humor, about current events in fish and wildlife research as well as the ethical and societal issues that affect the outdoor life. He can be contacted at johnstreet@windstream.net |
Ron is available to speak at your next convention or seminar. Call 425-455-5038
Latest Report Releases:
Latest Book Releases: Use arrows to scroll through VISIT OUR ALLIES
|
|||||||||
