Mike: Well put.. and You are correct.. It was the Bass and Trout fishermen who, for example, started Catch and Release, NOT some radical fringe group as you state...Fishermen/and women WANT to protect the sport they so love, or they will be without it...and THEY will be hurt the most..Thanks for the well put post, Chuck
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Morris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 8:48 AM Subject: RE: [VFB] Greenie Salution and a Tribute to Jimmy D. > Wow, this thread is heating up a little too much for my taste, > especially since we are arguing a semantics point. Whether you call > your self an environmentalist, conservationist or naturalist probably > has more to do with your upbringing than any true difference in > definition. This thread started out noting the antics of "Radical > Environmentalists" a group who's interest in self aggrandizement and > search for the celebrity spotlight is undeniable. These folks are > trying to hijack a movement started by sportsman and largely paid for by > sportsman. TU is rarely in the news, ditto most of the local groups > dedicated to "saving" the environment. We have accomplished great > things in the last 50 years, for the most part there are more fish and > game now than any time in recent history. True there are still many > areas which need work and some imbalances exist (deer herds are > exploding much to the detriment of almost all other wildlife). I > recently read an article noting that the blackfly population in new > England is exploding-mainly due to vastly improved water quality > throughout the region. So please stop arguing semantics pat yourselves > on the back and continue to act as responsible stewards of what we have > and continue to push to fix whats broe. > > And I agree the radical fringe groups should be put in the desert and > taught all over how the whole web of life thing works. > > Mike M > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of edward s engelman > Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2005 11:56 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [VFB] Greenie Salution and a Tribute to Jimmy D. > > Everyone. > > Hold on a minute. > > If you examine the history of the environmental movement it was started > by > concerned sportsmen and sportswomen. It was perhaps enlightened self > interest but they were able to stop the timber barrons of the 19th > century > from slashing and burning whole watersheds that were home to trout and > deer > and prevent irreversable degredation of vast areas of land. Here in New > > York State, the Adirondak Park became the prototype of our National Park > > System. Should those environmentalists be villified? > > What about the conservation platforms of Trout Unlimited, Ducks > Unlimited > etc? Members of those conservation organizations are also > environmentalists. Most trout water today would not be as good as it is > > without environmentalists. > > Remember conservation means wise use of our national resources. An > evironmentalists is one who values conservation. > > I am an environmentalist and I'm proud of it. > > If not, we loose our trout, our health, our green space. A grey world > indeed. > > Perhaps the trophy fish of tomorrow will be a 10" round goby or > mosquitofish. I for one, hope not. > > Ed Engelman >
