I am a volunteer science director for an environmentally-oriented angling g= roup. It is our goal to behave as an ecologically sensitive stakeholder wh= ere relevant ecological issues are concerned. Conveying that ideal to our = membership and beyond is an ongoing task. One important opportunity we hav= e to do that every year is during our winter fund raiser. One of the talks= during that dinner is reserved for a conservationist. =20 =20 Could the list recommend a CHARISMATIC, EFFECTIVE conservation speaker who = can convey a vision of ecologically responsible angling to a group of angle= rs. Hopefully this talk would be based on science, but would NOT be a scie= ntific talk. The talk is slated for late February in Chicago. =20 =20 We need someone who can energize our base demographic. We would like our m= embership to come away feeling good about the positive things they have acc= omplished and could accomplish, and better informed about the fundamental r= easons for avoiding destructive or potentially destructive practices like a= rtificial propagation, species introductions, habitat alteration, etc. =20 A key goal here is to provide a vision of sport fishing that recognizes its= ' reliance on functional ecosystems and especially how responsible angling = should seek to preserve biodiversity at all levels. Our focus fishery is n= ative, riverine smallmouth bass. =20 =
