The Turning Point

Republished by permission from the author.

Editorial Opinion by George Dovel

Ever since I resurrected The Outdoorsman in 2004, my goal has been to provide legislators, resource managers and outdoorsmen with documented facts they can use to help restore sound management of the billion-dollar renewable wildlife resource that existed in Idaho and other western states. Current trends and my conversations with long-time readers have dictated the subject matter of articles that have often been lengthy and difficult to read.

Responsible wildlife managers have been replaced by ecosystem worshippers at every level of government. These misguided extremists ignore the real world and live in a fantasy land, pretending it is their moral duty to restrict and control others in order to save mankind from itself.

If this sounds pretty “far out” consider that our Congress has relinquished control of our immediate destiny and given it to a self-proclaimed ecosystem advocate whose activities have displaced untold numbers of indigenous people in third world countries.

A growing number of state legislators and governors now support The Nature Conservancy and other land trusts acquiring ownership or control of productive private land and selling millions of acres of that land to the federal government at huge profits provided by our tax dollars. Sadly several sportsman and agricultural groups who figure to benefit financially, have endorsed this practice under the pretence it is being done to protect a rural way of life.

But knowing that millions of acres of man-made wildlands overgrown with noxious weeds and forest debris exists will not compensate us for the loss of our freedoms or our productivity. Nor will it restore the abundant diversity of wildlife that we once enjoyed thanks to sound management.

My wife and I and most of our children harvest wild game by hunting and fishing because it has been a part of our existence for generations. The professionals we have entrusted with managing and perpetuating the wild game and fish we share ownership of with other residents are destroying it in the guise of ecosystem management.

It no longer involves a process of politely debating season lengths or management techniques. These obsessed ecosystem worshippers have violated the trust they were given and the time has come to take the gloves off and “tell it like it is” to anyone who will listen.

The dumbing down of America by self-proclaimed experts in the media has reached the stage where we watch a political debate on TV and then tune in all three of the major networks to have them tell us who won the debate. They have elevated yellow journalism to a new level of perfection, spoon feeding us only the facts mixed with opinions that support what they want us to believe.

When the first bailout bill failed to pass in the House and the market took a dive, the media claimed the Congressmen who listened to their constituents and voted against the bailout were too dumb to understand why it must be passed. Then when the second bailout bill passed and the market recorded the worst selloff since the Great Depression, they blamed it on everyone but themselves.

The federal takeover of the nation’s largest banks, however temporary it is claimed to be, marks the transition from a free market society to a Socialist State. Yet many people now seem to believe it was necessary based on what they were told by the media.

Lately when I see one of my neighbor’s animals chewing its cud it reminds me that Treasury Secretary Paulson intends to impose a tax on so-called greenhouse gas emissions. That may make him millions of additional dollars from carbon trading but imagine what it will do to the consumers and wage earners who will pay higher costs of living and have fewer jobs available to support the family.

The TV media apparently takes great delight in showing the video of a young polar bear hitching a ride on a small chunk of ice or the video of researchers illustrating ice core sampling in Greenland. But they never produce facts to substantiate their claim that global warming is caused by human-caused “greenhouse” gas emissions.

In Idaho, half of the Congressional delegation voted for the bailout and carbon restrictions and the other half opposed them. These are not restrictions against poisoning the air we breathe or the water we drink but are based entirely on the unproven theory that gases like carbon dixide and methane will cause abnormal global warming with severe consequences.

I am privileged to have the opportunity to discuss these issues on a fairly regular basis with a few distinguished wildlife ecologists and several Idaho Legislators who express genuine concern that we are reaching a point of no return. I am convinced that we have reached a turning point in the discussion where we have the opportunity to take aggressive action and turn things around.

Those of you who are Idaho big game hunters may get inspired to join the battle after you’ve covered enough ground observing how mule deer and elk numbers have declined in your favorite hunting areas. That is especially true in the deep snow areas that experienced heavy losses from starvation or predators this past winter.

Whatever motivates you, I urge you to contact your elected State officials and solicit their help with problems you are familiar with. You may be surprised at how many other people feel the same way you do.

Posted by Tom Remington