Conservation......

[packmule]

What all can an individual do in the western states to contribute to herd health and micromanagement besides donate to "conservation" organizations. I see random complaints about certain organizations and wonder if hands are tied to the point that it's hard to do anything without some sort of lobbying as a group?


Happy Monday!

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

What all can an individual do in the western states to contribute to herd health and micromanagement besides donate to "conservation" organizations. I see random complaints about certain organizations and wonder if hands are tied to the point that it's hard to do anything without some sort of lobbying as a group?


Happy Monday!

There are some things that you can do on the local level.......volunteer. There are lots of opportunities available if you look for them. I get all the Parks & Wildlife press releases and public emails relating to department announcements. Lots of calls for volunteers. I also get the schedule and minutes of the Game Commission. I have appeared a number of times and spoke on issues I was interested in. Colorado also has a citizens council which meets and discusses issues concerning the P & W Dept. I volunteered for 5 years and spent 3 summers leading a project in our local NF for the P & W Office in my area. It does help that I am retired and have time to do this. There are lots of things we can do if we just do a little digging!

 

[okielite]

From my perspective it has turned into yet another political game of who is supporting who. To me I see groups like pheasants forever, NWTF, Ducks Unlimited, etc.. more true conservation organizations and others are simply puppets for their politically minded donors. Plus those groups actually do conservations projects as opposed to others who don't. When you start looking at who supports some of these organizations it makes you wonder. BHA is a perfect example. Hard to keep track of it all.

 

[packmule]

CC, I volunteered to drive equipment (and take equipment to CO) during the Winter '08 feeding program, never got a call though. But what exactly is there to volunteer to do?

 

[T43]

I support a few conservation orgs. and volunteer my time. The best advice is see where your money goes. Any org that raises funds for conservation should have a fairly large portfolio of projects in the state they are raising money in. If you can't jump in the net and find out what projects they have done and what they are planning there is a very good chance it's more of a front than a true conservation org. If you can't find out where the money is going and the only involvement they have is to take credit for piggybacking on another groups projects that's a good sign of a bad org. Right now just about every conservation org out there is fighting to keep public land public. Then there are a few that either have no problem with the loss of public land or are trying to divert the attention to something else in an effort to raise money. What it boils down to is some orgs are out there to make a difference and some are out there to make money. It's not very hard to figure out who is who.

 

[7shot]

Our scout troop worked with the fish and game and went out and planted bitterbrush in an area that burned. It is good mule deer wintering habitat. The boys had a good time earning service hours for advancements and giving back at the same time. All we did was contact a biologist and let them know of our idea and they got the plants and we met them and did the work.

 

[okielite]

I support a few conservation orgs. and volunteer my time. The best advice is see where your money goes. Any org that raises funds for conservation should have a fairly large portfolio of projects in the state they are raising money in. If you can't jump in the net and find out what projects they have done and what they are planning there is a very good chance it's more of a front than a true conservation org. If you can't find out where the money is going and the only involvement they have is to take credit for piggybacking on another groups projects that's a good sign of a bad org. Right now just about every conservation org out there is fighting to keep public land public. Then there are a few that either have no problem with the loss of public land or are trying to divert the attention to something else in an effort to raise money. What it boils down to is some orgs are out there to make a difference and some are out there to make money. It's not very hard to figure out who is who.

Care to give us a list of those organizations who are making a difference so we know which ones to support?

IMO it is very confusing to keep it all straight. For example BHA is a well respected outdoor group according to most hunters. I recently read some information about their top donors and was stunned. If even half of this stuff is true I wouldn't even think of supporting this group.
https://www.greendecoys.com/decoys/backcountry-hunters-and-anglers/

Also totally agree about looking at the projects a conservation group is involved with. Groups like Ducks Unlimited have plenty of information about conservation projects they are working on.

 

[T43]

There is a fair amount of information about the group that made up the green decoys propaganda. BHA has firearms manufactures well represented on their board of directors. The smear campaign against them is just that. RMEF is wide open about what projects they do. DU is as well. The groups to stay away from make blanket statements about how much money they spend and give no actual details on the projects, anywhere. SFW Idaho is a prime example. Their website claims they were the only organization to fight for wolf delisting when they actually opposed the Simpson Tester bill that gave states management. They claim to have spent millions in Idaho but have no data on Idaho projects to back up the claim. RMEF on the other hand has a list of projects and funding including giving money to the states for wolf management.

 

[okielite]

There is a fair amount of information about the group that made up the green decoys propaganda. BHA has firearms manufactures well represented on their board of directors. The smear campaign against them is just that. RMEF is wide open about what projects they do. DU is as well. The groups to stay away from make blanket statements about how much money they spend and give no actual details on the projects, anywhere. SFW Idaho is a prime example. Their website claims they were the only organization to fight for wolf delisting when they actually opposed the Simpson Tester bill that gave states management. They claim to have spent millions in Idaho but have no data on Idaho projects to back up the claim. RMEF on the other hand has a list of projects and funding including giving money to the states for wolf management.

So you are saying that the information on green decoy website about the top donors for BHA and leadership for BHA is not true?

 

[libidilatimmy]

I don't see "Green Decoys" offering to be a sponsor of this forum....Just sayin

 

[packmule]

Okie, DU does do a lot of projects...tons on the East Coast on wealthy estates to turn those places into corporate retreat hunts at $600-900/person/day. Then they short stop them on the central flyway. Duck hunting hasn't been worth a flip down here for a while now unless you're a fan of shooting woodys.

 

[okielite]

Okie, DU does do a lot of projects...tons on the East Coast on wealthy estates to turn those places into corporate retreat hunts at $600-900/person/day. Then they short stop them on the central flyway. Duck hunting hasn't been worth a flip down here for a while now unless you're a fan of shooting woodys.

LOL. So here you are making negative statements about DU in Texas. Did you base this information off any research? Try clicking on this link and pick a state.
http://www.ducks.org/conservation/conservation-projects-by-state

Yep, looks like they dont' do much in Texas.



I know in my neck of the woods they work with the state and conduct conservation projects on state land open to public hunting.

 

[coastalarms]

Colorado Cowboy hit it dead on. Volunteer, for any of them, for all of them, or just one. The biggest challenge (I think) facing these organizations is a lack of boots on the ground, or the same boots on the ground all the time. It takes more than going to a banquet and hoping to win a gun to support them. The money is important, don't get me wrong, but when it comes time for projects to be completed they all need boots and backs.

About 10 years ago I joined the Oregon Hunters Association. It made sense to me to have one group that represented ALL hunters. Lord knows they are not perfect by any stretch, but the concept still makes sense.
It makes sense for duck hunters to have the back of bow hunters who have the back of pheasant hunter...and so on. The reason I say that is twofold;
The first reason goes back to the boots and backs. Projects that help elk can also help salmon and deer. Joint projects put more boots and backs on the ground to get things done.
The second reason is that through our own divisiveness we put ourselves at risk. A while back PETA took aim at bow hunters (sorry, pun completely intended) saying essentially that bow hunting was cruel to the animal. They went after the bow hunters because it was a small group. If they could divide hunters into smaller groups then they had a better chance of winning their case. Luckily it didn't work. They took a perfect copy of what the anti gunners have tried for years and applied it to their cause.

Ok, that was way too long....

Cliff notes:
Join a group.
Volunteer for projects.
Get that group to work with others.

 

[T43]

So you are saying that the information on green decoy website about the top donors for BHA and leadership for BHA is not true?

BHA leadership is made up of a diverse group of hunters and fishermen. They are dedicated to protecting public land for hunting and fishing.

This is their board of directors. Read the bios of Ryan Busse from Kimber, Mike Schoby from Peterson's Hunting, Edward Nickens from Field and Stream and The Gun Nuts TV show and the other less known but possibly more hard core hunters that make up the board.
http:// http://www.backcountryhunters.org/index.php/who-we-are/board-of-directors
If you want to see some anti public land hunting folks look up the makers of your video.

 

[okielite]

BHA leadership is made up of a diverse group of hunters and fishermen. They are dedicated to protecting public land for hunting and fishing.

This is their board of directors. Read the bios of Ryan Busse from Kimber, Mike Schoby from Peterson's Hunting, Edward Nickens from Field and Stream and The Gun Nuts TV show and the other less known but possibly more hard core hunters that make up the board.
http:// http://www.backcountryhunters.org/index.php/who-we-are/board-of-directors
If you want to see some anti public land hunting folks look up the makers of your video.

My video??? I have nothing to do with green decoy. I just read the information and was curious if it was true. If it is true then it absolutely makes me question the group, but it might be nothing more than made-up lies. I have no idea.

I asked you and quite frankly your answer seems to dodge the question and avoid discussing the specific accusations made. The fact that you are dodging seems to indicate some of that information might be true.

Is the Western conservation foundation really the #1 donor?
Is the Wilburforce foundation really the #2 donor? Is their executive director really from the humane society?
Is the Pew foundation really a hunters group? Last time I saw their name it was for a marijuana study, had nothing to do with hunting.

Is this true?
BHA Leadership

Not only do BHA’s primary donors have extensive ties to the environmentalist movement, but its leadership does as well. A number of top executives and board members currently work or previously worked for notorious environmental activists.

Most prominent is BHA executive director Land Tawney, who ran the liberal political action committee (PAC) calling itself the “Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund” (MHA). In 2012, this pop-up PAC spent $1.1 million against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Denny Rehberg, who was challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester. The liberal MHA also spent $500,000 in support of the libertarian candidate as a strategy of drawing votes away from the Republican. MHA received several hundred thousand dollars from the League of Conservation Voters, a liberal environmentalist group. Tawney is also a member of the Montana Sportsmen for Obama Committee and previously served as the National Grassroots Coordinator for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which, like BHA, is an environmentalist front that poses as a hunter and fisher group.

You said it was really easy to tell which groups are good so I asked you for a list of the good ones but never got a response. There are all sorts of groups out there with catchy names but it is hard to tell what they are really standing up for unless you see who is financing their operations. That is why when I saw the list of top donors to BHA I was surprised and wondered if it was true. If it is false just say so.

 

[micropterus79]

Get yourself a chainsaw, a backhoe, and some native grass seed and hope "the man" doesn't catch you!

 

[packmule]

LOL. So here you are making negative statements about DU in Texas. Did you base this information off any research? Try clicking on this link and pick a state.
http://www.ducks.org/conservation/conservation-projects-by-state

Yep, looks like they dont' do much in Texas.
View attachment 12899


I know in my neck of the woods they work with the state and conduct conservation projects on state land open to public hunting.

Read...hunting here hasn't been worth a flip and with roughly 98% of Texas being private and anything occurring inland (impoundments) affect salinity of wetlands its a perfect business plan to have at federal funds that should go towards nesting instead of areas not in dire nee..but since a ton of money comes from TX they can use tax payer $ (majority of what they get) to provide nice private hunting grounds inlands to the fat-cats who have the $ to do it on their own but not knowledgable at scratching dirt.

 

[packmule]

And how things can get classified as historic wetlands in the pothole prairie is beyond me, but it'll sure short stop them.

 

[T43]

My video??? I have nothing to do with green decoy. I just read the information and was curious if it was true. If it is true then it absolutely makes me question the group, but it might be nothing more than made-up lies. I have no idea.

I asked you and quite frankly your answer seems to dodge the question and avoid discussing the specific accusations made. The fact that you are dodging seems to indicate some of that information might be true.

Is the Western conservation foundation really the #1 donor?
Is the Wilburforce foundation really the #2 donor? Is their executive director really from the humane society?
Is the Pew foundation really a hunters group? Last time I saw their name it was for a marijuana study, had nothing to do with hunting.

Is this true?
BHA Leadership

Not only do BHA’s primary donors have extensive ties to the environmentalist movement, but its leadership does as well. A number of top executives and board members currently work or previously worked for notorious environmental activists.

Most prominent is BHA executive director Land Tawney, who ran the liberal political action committee (PAC) calling itself the “Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund” (MHA). In 2012, this pop-up PAC spent $1.1 million against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Denny Rehberg, who was challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester. The liberal MHA also spent $500,000 in support of the libertarian candidate as a strategy of drawing votes away from the Republican. MHA received several hundred thousand dollars from the League of Conservation Voters, a liberal environmentalist group. Tawney is also a member of the Montana Sportsmen for Obama Committee and previously served as the National Grassroots Coordinator for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which, like BHA, is an environmentalist front that poses as a hunter and fisher group.

You said it was really easy to tell which groups are good so I asked you for a list of the good ones but never got a response. There are all sorts of groups out there with catchy names but it is hard to tell what they are really standing up for unless you see who is financing their operations. That is why when I saw the list of top donors to BHA I was surprised and wondered if it was true. If it is false just say so.

You posted the video in your post, your video.

I answered your question about the leadership by posting a link to the bios of the people in charge. If you are worried about Land Tawny he answers to the board of directors and apparently he is doing a good enough job to get the attention of the folks that made your video. I don't really care where the money they use to fight for hunters rights comes from and if it did actually come from an anti hunting organization that makes it even better. Why would you not want to use their own money against them?

I gave you examples of some orgs with good reputations as well as things to look for to help determine where to put your support. I didn't feel a list was necessary and quite frankly there are hundreds of good orgs starting at local levels.

If you want a good place to start read here, click the banner at the bottom and sign up.
http://blog.eastmans.com/public-land-sell-off/

 

[shootbrownelk]

Boys, Boys, Boys, simmer down now.