I got an interesting email and press release yesterday, and to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.  It was an announcement for a new website, Sierra Sportsmen.  The first thing I noticed, though, was the return email… sierraclub.org.  Hmmm…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2008

Contact: Kristina Johnson (415) 977-5619
Virginia Cramer (804) 225-9113 x 102

Sierra Club Launches Online Sportsmen’s Network
Conservationists, Hunters and Anglers Work Together on Drilling, Clean Water, and Global Warming

It’s all about protecting habitat.  That’s the common ground and common cause of conservationists and sportsmen.  As mining, drilling, development and global warming increasingly threaten quality hunting and fishing opportunities, more and more sportsmen are joining forces with other conservationists to protect wildlife and wild places.

Now the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization has launched a campaign to connect the 20 percent of its members (118,000 people) who hunt and fish with other sportsmen across the country who care about conservation.

“Sportsmen were some of the first conservationists, and have always been an important part of the Sierra Club. Our founder, John Muir, worked closely with Teddy Roosevelt to protect America’s wild legacy,” Sierra Sportsmen organizer Jon Schwedler said. “Now it’s crucial that sportsmen and environmentalists work together more closely so we can help save the forests, plains, lakes, rivers and streams we all enjoy.  Working together we can ensure that our nation’s outdoor legacy lives on for future generations of sportsmen.”

The Sierra Club’s new Sierra Sportsmen organizing site, www.sierrasportsmen.org will serve as a hub for hunters and anglers, allowing them to connect with each other beyond state lines,, find out about conservation issues that affect them, help pass on outdoor traditions to the next generation, restore local streams, protect game habitat, and fight global warming.

The Sierra Sportsmen site includes interviews with prominent figures in the outdoor movement such as President Lowell Baier of the Boone & Crockett Club, as well as conservation updates, and opportunities for sportsmen to take action on issues that affect us all. Members of the Sierra Sportsmen Network can stay abreast of the latest in outdoor news through Schwedler’s blog.  Schwedler is a life-long sportsman who has lived on the Chesapeake Bay, in the Big Sky of Montana, and now in  New Mexico’s Land of Enchantment.  

Sportsmen visiting the site can also share their own stories and find updates on the Sierra Club’s work in the field, including:

  • Restoring streams in Idaho
  • Keeping a coal plant from polluting fishing streams in Arkansas 
  • Removing fence in Montana elk range 
  • Protecting key habitat from oil drilling in places like Alaska’s Teshekpuk Lake, the Wyoming Range, and Colorado’s Roan Plateau 
  • Teaching fly fishing clinics in Portland, Oregon

“Hunters and anglers are some of the best stewards of America’s public lands and wildlife,” Schwedler said. “By working together, whether it’s to keep streams healthy for trout or keep oil drills out of elk range, we can ensure that our children and grandchildren are able enjoy the same outdoor traditions we do today.”

In celebration of its official launch, the Sierra Sportsmen Network is holding a fishing and hunting photo contest.  Winners will receive a $500 gift certificate either from Patagonia or Bass Pro Shops.

The contest will be judged by Lowell Baier of the Boone & Crockett Club, Anthony Licata of Field & Stream Magazine, Ben Long of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Bob Poole of National Geographic, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Jim Posewitz of the Orion Institute, Kent Salazar of the National Wildlife Federation, Samantha Mace of Save our Wild
Salmon, and R.P. Van Gytenbeek of the Federation of Fly Fishers.

For more information, visit www.sierrasportsmen.org
 

Yosemite Valley, treasured by Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir alike…So I checked out the website, starting with the “Welcome” from Sierra Club Executive Director, Carl Pope, that describes the philosophy behind that Sierra Sportsmen is trying to do.  Mr. Pope’s message opens with the image of John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt entering Yosemite together.

When John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt hiked into the Yosemite Valley together in 1903, they shared a first-hand interest in protecting America’s wild places. Muir was a hiker who wanted to wander mountains and valleys that were free of industrial development. Roosevelt was a hunter who wanted to explore dense forests and open fields. They were natural allies.

Natural allies…

Of course, I’ve shouted regularly and loudly that hunters and environmentalists aren’t diametrically opposing forces.  To be sure, there are efforts by these organizations that contradict some of the things hunters are about… and vice versa.  The CA Lead Ban is a perfect example.  However, I think that for most CA hunters, their opposition to the lead ban isn’t because they don’t want the condor to thrive… it’s because the ban ignores common sense solutions that could address both the condors and hunters’ issues.  (Sorry… I’ll get off of the lead ban tangent for now…)

The point is, as I read through the Sierra Sportsmen site, it gave me a chance to really evaluate just what kind of an opportunity this could be.  I mean, put everything you think you know and feel about the Sierra Club and environmentalists in general aside for a second, and just think positive. 

First of all, we ALL want a healthy environment.  As sportsmen, we want to see a healthy ecosystem.  We want good habitat, not just for more game, but because we have a strong love for the natural world.  And when development or pollution threaten that environment, we want to do something about it.  That is something we share with environmentalists… heck, in that light, we ARE environmentalists. 

But the difference is, when we join the fray to make a change, our voices are usually drowned out by the others.  Developers and industry have powerful voices, and they raise a din when they are challenged by the equally powerful environmental organizations.  Our concerns, our solutions don’t often get heard as the titans clash above us. 

Hunters, in large part by our own doing, don’t have a very strong political lobby.  The Sierra Club, on the other hand, has a fair amount of influence… if for nothing else, then for the sheer numbers of its membership… and the fact that the membership has a solid leadership that can move them when issues arise.  With that kind of clout and influence behind us, imagine the things we could accomplish… not only would we have a valid political voice, but the public would see us for the true stewards of the land that we’ve always claimed to be! 

OK, turn off the filters now, because there are still some realities.  The Sierra Club is fairly moderate in the world of environmentalist organizations, but they still represent a number of things that many hunters don’t agree with… things like road closures and roadless areas and land-use restrictions.  The Sierra Club comes out on the “green” side of many issues, like wolf reintroduction and delisting.  In short, the politically conservative amongst the hunting population (a majority) is not going to find much in common with the Sierra Club, and as such, it’ll be quite a challenge selling the Sierra Sportsmen idea to them (to many of you, dear readers). 

But this brings me to something else I’ve always said.  If you want to change the system, you have to become the system.  You have to get inside the system and use it to change itself.  You can fight it from the outside, of course, but if hunters continue to fight against environmental organizations I can guarantee that our public support will continue to fade.  This represents a renewed opportunity for sportsmen to have some say in the Sierra Club’s direction, to make sure hunters are represented, and our needs and desires are considered when the Club takes a stance on an issue.   But this will only happen if we get involved and get active in the organization.

So does it feel like I’m dragging you back and forth across the straits of indecision?  “It’s a good thing.  It’s a bad thing.  It’s a good thing…”

Good…  because this is something that I think we all need to consider carefully. 

Simply signing up and sending in your annual dues is not going to do anything but swell the ranks of the Sierra Club membership.  While I don’t mean to imply any such nefarious intent on their part, this will provide the opportunity for the Club to claim that they represent hunters, even when their position is contrary to our best interests or desires.  So, for example, should the organization choose to back an issue like the CA Lead Ammo Ban, they can point to the hunters in their membership and claim that their position is supported by hunters. 

So the best way to make the new Sierra Sportsmen a positive thing for sportsmen, is to join up and BE INVOLVED.  Take an active role, participate in discussions and let the leadership know where you stand on the issues.  Educate yourself on the projects and goals of the Club, so you’re clear on the implications of different programs and projects.  Of course, this should be the case in any organization you choose to support, including NRA, DU, RMEF, or any of the myriad others.  Don’t just send your money and attend the dinners once a year… BE INVOLVED.

So I’ve tried to tell you, in probably way too many words, to think this through for yourselves.  Is Sierra Sportsmen a good opportunity for hunters and fishermen?  Can you be part of an organization that believes the environment should generally come first in land-use decisions?  Only you can answer that.

Personally, I do tend to come out on the “green” side of many of these issues, although I think compromise is usually attainable (I just don’t think it’s often given a chance).  I think it’s an interesting opportunity to ally sportsmen and environmentalists, and to use the strength of that alliance to forge sensible approaches to conservation and protection of our remaining natural resources. 

By the way, I’m apparently not the only one who sees value in this alliance.  The Sierra Club is currently involved in projects alongside the RMEF, Quail Unlimited, NWTF, and many other sportsmen’s organizations.  These groups recognize the power of working together for mutual benefit. 

So, honestly, I’m not sure what either John Muir or Teddy Roosevelt would think about the state of today’s wild places in America, or about the politics of preservation vs conservation and the disconnect between sportsmen and environmentalists.  I think it would be an interesting conversation, but since it’s one we’ll never get to hear, maybe it’s time for us to pick up the dialogue ourselves. 

I’m really interested in feedback from HogBlog readers.  What do you think?  Check out the site, read through the stuff that’s there, and post up your impressions and ideas. 

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