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Location: Rhinelander, WI | I completely understand the possible seriousness of VHS, but I couldn’t help but notice the following in a Journal Sentinel article. I see this as more reason to stick together as fishermen no matter what the species we target. If anything can be done to combate VHS or even if it comes down to restocking after the disease runs it course it will be Wisconsin Sportsmen who foot the bill not some tree hugger from the big city. I don’t know why but when I read the following paragraph it really struck a nerve with me and I am wondering if anyone else noticed it.
From:
Deadly fish virus in state
Kills in Lake Winnebago system may be just start
By DON BEHM
[email protected]
“Staggs asked anglers to drain water from boat bilges and so-called live wells used to store fish, as well as bait buckets and other containers, before driving away from a boat landing.”
Notice the reference to “…SO-CALLED LIVE WELLS…” what exactly is this guy trying to say.
Am I off base here?
Nail A Pig!
Mike
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Location: Appleton, WI | I agree, subtle but he is grinding some kind of ax. Might be interesting to follow-up with him to see what his response is. |
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Location: Eau Claire, WI | “Staggs asked anglers to drain water from boat bilges and so-called live wells used to store fish, as well as bait buckets and other containers, before driving away from a boat landing.”
How about the recreational boaters. Shouldnt they be asked to help stop the spread as well? |
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| Mike
What are you trying to say???? What is the problem? |
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Location: Minneapolis | I agree. The "so-called" part of the message is odd.
But I also wonder about the giant rift between the "sportsmen" and the "tree-huggers". The original message says tree-huggers won't do anything to help restore VHS damage. Maybe, maybe not. But environmental groups DO help preserve habitat, which is critical to fish and game.
These are two groups that should cooperate, not be at odds. Both want to conserve resources and improve habitat. I've often thought that if we as anglers (and hunters, at least some of us) could work with groups like Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy, both camps could get WAY more done than we do now. That would be a huge magnification of political clout and money.
But, there I may have answered my own question. I suspect the wedge that has been driven between sportsmen and environmentalist groups is a cynical tactic by politicians that don't want to have to actually do anything to improve the resources. |
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| MR,
You may be getting tree hugger and Peta confused here. I don't think tree huggers are neccessarily opposed to outdoorsmen, and in fact, many of us tree huggers are outdoorsmen. Tree hugger may not be totally synonymous with outdoorsmen, but it is not a mutually exclusive set of terms for sure. |
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| rpike,
perhaps its because most of the "tree huggers" are also animal rights activists, who view hunting and fishing as barbaric inhumane practices that should be outlawed.
The wedge is due to the fact that most of these people are urban dwellers who have never seen half of what they think they are trying to protect, and they are ruled largely by emotion and propaganda.
And even those who aren't on the animal rights bandwagon would certainly outlaw your truck and your boat if they had the chance.
The sad part is that the hunters and fishermen of the world have a greater understanding and a greater respect for nature than the people who claim they are trying to protect it. |
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Location: Rhinelander, WI | Guest, what upset me is the choice to the author made to say “…so called live-well…” it sure smells like a political shot at fishermen who place their daily catch in a live-well, that is what they are called there was no need in the article for the “so called”. In my opinion it uses a good informative piece and takes a pot shot at fishermen.
DNR Fisheries Director Mike Staggs is quoted often in the piece the paragraph I posted is not in quotes which lends me to believe that the so called was added by the author not by Mr. Staggs, I want to make that clear. Again the piece was very informational, I just wish reporters could report the news without interjecting their personal opinions, but I guess that doesn’t sell as many news papers. Again this wasn’t blatant it was just a little shot, but it was enough to bother me, it had no place in the article.
Here is a link to the entire article:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=604843
FirstSixFeet, when I use the term Treehugger I am talking about the PETA types. If you are a hunter and fisherman you do not fit the bill for my definition of treehugger. I use Madison Wisconsin as a gauge, and no self respecting Madison treehugging, peta member would be caught in the woods for any other reason other than to free mink, protested some hunt or demand the closing of state and national forest to all motorized vehicles and people. Then they would leave there waste sitting at their camp sites after the protest was over. If they found out you where a hunter they may just stone you, as it’s ok to attack people just not any other critter that swims, walks, or flies. Sorry, must be a full moon or something.
Very well said Esoxaddict, that was exactly what I was trying to say in the first paragraph of my first post. Sportsmen have a true stake in the outcome, because most want to pass on the tradition to future generations, the best way to do that is by protecting it though conservation.
Nail A Pig!
Mike
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Location: Appleton | http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/pages/vhs.html Here is more Info. I posted this on the other thread also. |
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| I will make this short reply to MR. I understand your questioning the quote but you are still mixing terms uneccessarily here. Tree hugging as a term originated from the WILDERNESS GROUP more so than any other and was so named from their protest stance of chaining themselves to trees, lying in front of bulldozers etc to protect certain areas and woodlands. I am not against that, nor am I against protecting certain habitats, ie Spotted Owl, and make an easy leap from protecting wilderness and wildlife habitats to protecting spawning areas in Leech Lake and yes, Rainbow Darters. I think tree hugging is more involved with protecting something from being lost, and it is wrong to mix the term up with Peta, and anti hunting activists, much as you may hate Madisonian's, or liberals in general. BTW, there are some great outdoorsman in these groups, and they have a wide view of the resource, sometimes seeing what we don't way before it impacts us as a problem. Good people to know, imo. |
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Location: Rhinelander, WI | Point well taken Six, and will consider the next time I feel the need to rant. Especially considering that I was accused of being for "gun control" because I pushed for the 50" size limit on Pelican Lake.
Nail A Pig!
Mike
Edited by MRoberts 5/14/2007 3:53 PM
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Location: Minneapolis | Good post, firstsixfeet. We shouldn't confuse groups that want to protect resources with those like PETA. One of my regular turkey hunting partners has hunted Nature Conservancy land in Nebraska; he was there at the invitation of a Nature Conservancy board member. Part of the charter for that particular parcel is to allow hunting.
That's the sort of cooperation I think we need more of, instead of us sportsmen assuming all liberal environmentalists are PETA-types who want to end all hunting and fishing. Likewise, the environmentalists need to recognize most sportsmen are not gap-toothed rednecks hell-bent on killing every critter they see. |
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| And as far as Peta members go, please feel free to inflict on them what you will, and, if your car is mostly out of control and you are going to hit one of two "innocent bystanders" one of which is a lawyer, and the other a PETA member, just keep in mind, IT'S ALL GOOD!!!!! 
Edited by firstsixfeet 5/14/2007 6:16 PM
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| I feel strongly that the moment you excuse yourself from a human interaction based on a persons "affiliations" both sides lose. We might not all get along, but when people are genuinely interested in moving foreward with something positive everyone wins. Any lake may on any day host a whole lots of "user groups" - I love kayaking early in the a.m. and am cognizant of any fisherman I am near that I don't paddle between them and shore and give on of those stupid smile and waves and not know why they want to kill me as I paddle over the weed bed they were heading to. I also am the guy freaking out the canoe when I go by on plane later in the day - and they think I am an idiot for going so fast, but they have no clue how bad it would have been had I been trying to be "nice" and slowed down and pushed a four foot wake at them instead of the ripple caused by going fast - do you see where I am going? Most people aren't bad - we just don't get what is important to the other group, and usually it wouldn't kill us (and them) to be courteous, no matter the situation. The "so-called live well" remark was a little off color I thought, but the problem is bigger than the apparent jab - remember that. |
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