http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news02.txt
ESPN won't appeal FWP decision By DARYL GADBOW of the Missoulian ESPN will not appeal a decision by a state agency denying the television network's request to hold a televised fly-fishing contest in Missoula, an ESPN official said Thursday. The proposed contest, which would have been held April 8-10 on area streams as part of ESPN's Great Outdoor Games, was turned down last Friday by Jeff Hagener, director of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. State fishing regulations prohibit contests that impact wild trout. And since most streams in the state contain only wild trout, and are not stocked with hatchery fish, the ESPN contest required a waiver of the rule from FWP. Hagener said he denied the waiver, in part, because of "voluminous and thoughtful public comment" that ran 2 to 1 against the contest. Eric Matijevich, director of the ESPN Great Outdoor Games in Reno, Nev., said he was surprised and disappointed by FWP's decision. But he said the network won't appeal the decision to the FWP Commission, which is allowed within 20 days under the state regulations. The Missoula contest was to be one of two fly-fishing qualifiers for the national Great Outdoor Games - a made-for-television event involving competition in a variety of outdoor activities - which will be held in Reno in July. ESPN filmed another qualifying event for the Games - the Super Retriever Series, a field trial for hunting dogs - in Missoula last October. ESPN's scheduled broadcast dates of the Missoula fly-fishing event in April makes an appeal to the FWP Commission impractical, Matijevich said in a telephone interview Thursday. "Definitely the timing falls into it," he said of the network's decision. "But we went through the process and we'll have to live with the decision. We're definitely disappointed because we thought Missoula was a fantastic place to hold a qualifying fly-fishing contest for the Great Outdoor Games." ESPN is still planning to hold a fly-fishing tournament in an alternative location during the same time period, Matijevich said, and is looking at five or six different sites "someplace west of the Rockies." In a letter to ESPN denying its waiver request, Hagener said, "To these (Montana's) anglers, fly-fishing on Montana's rivers for wild trout does not lend itself to the competition envisioned in your proposed contest." In the nearly 400 public comments FWP received about the contest, Hagener said in his letter, concerns were also raised about the negative impacts the contest would have on area rivers, including the likelihood of increased fishing pressure and crowding caused by the publicity. "Opponents (including several businesses) to the contest point out that Montana will not continue to attract anglers to the state if the values that attract people in the first place are degraded," Hagener wrote, "specifically the uncrowded and unspoiled rivers that offer a quality fishery for anglers. ... Fishing will continue to draw many visitors to the state without any additional advertising. At the same time, everyone must continue to work toward win-win solutions for the overcrowding that some of our rivers are already experiencing." Matijevich said he didn't take exception with the arguments FWP presented to deny ESPN's request. "Not at all," he said. "I want to point out that we share a lot of the same conservation values of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. We take great care when we conduct these catch-and-release tournaments." "We were a little surprised, though," he added. "We were approached by members of the local fishing community there, as well as the Chamber of Commerce, to hold this contest in Missoula. And in 2001, Missoula was a finalist for holding the Great Outdoor Games, and this issue had never come up before. So we had established relationships there. And we were absolutely happy with the Super Retriever Series we did there." Fly-fishing contests for the Great Outdoor Games have never encountered opposition before, Matijevich said. "It was just disappointing not to be able to showcase Montana's natural beauty and wildlife," he said. "Part of our intent of the show is to grow awareness of fishing and hunting while adhering to the highest standards of ethics. Our intent is only to entertain and inform other anglers and get youth involved in the outdoors." Reporter Daryl Gadbow can be reached at 523-5264 or at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
