River Mud: Conservation Needs Soldiers, Not Cheerleaders

People do not SEE A NEED, until they FEEL THE NEED

There is never an end to the need for diligent boots-in-the-field when it comes to resource protection and education of the masses.  As the author of the article linked below, Kirk Mantay says, we all fall short. We all have busy lives that interfere.

What we need though are more people actively involved. So when the current front line falters a bit, there are hands to pick-up-the-slack.

We simply cannot afford to drop-the-ball on this effort.  There are too many vicious predators lurking about these days.

There just seem to be coming out of the woodwork, people who seem hell-bent on destroying all that is wild and natural.  It is beyond this author's ability to comprehend such a deplorably short-sighted, weak-minded, ignorant path of thought.  I have been fighting these battles now for well into 40 years and I am, most unfortunately, familiar.

However, just when you think you've seen it all ... something like the last weeks move to sell off ALL federally owned public lands.  And there we go again.    

So, PLEASE!  Jump in. Get involved.  Your 'verbal backing' is good and needed. But right now, what we really need is your 'boots-in-the-field'.  

And yes, that means getting your 'boots' wet and muddy from being actively involved in having fun in the field. Whether it's fishing, hunting, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, birdwatching, geocaching, skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding ... or just 'out standing in your field'.   JUST DO IT!

Then turn around, grab a cup of coffee, go to the computer and TELL your friends and neighbors what you did; show photos and describe the wonders.  Then get together with a local club and take part in ... depending upon your knowledge of and ambition - lead education classes, field trips, become a mentor ... and WORK to brig others into the knowledge of the value of the outdoors.   Take a kid or non-participating adult - fishing, hunting, hiking, birdwatching .. or just stand in that 'field' and take in all that is the OUTDOORS.  Look up and enjoy the starts - the sunrise - the sunset - the weather changes.  WHATEVER!!!  JUST DO IT!

I have been saying for the better part of the last 25 years the following mantra: 

"People do not SEE A NEED, until they FEEL THE NEED!"

The more people are brought into contact with the outdoors, the less likely they are to abuse it.  Once they 'touch the outdoors'.. it 'touches  them back'.  And that connection become 'ownership'.  And it becomes 'personal'.

So let's all make it our PERSONAL MISSION .. to make sure WE provide the platform and opportunity for at least 10 people, this coming year, to 'Connect with the OUTDOORS for a Lifetime Personal Ownership'.

Seriously. This is in YOUR and MY hands.  What WE choose to do over the coming 24 months will determine - in a most frighteningly real way - the availability of access ... even existence ... of wild lands in the United States.  And as has been the case for over 60 years, what happens here - in the USA - floats the boats of many other countries around the globe.

It is time we 'WiseUp and do the Right Thing' - for our own good and the good of those generations to come.

We can choose to be part of the Weapon of MASS DESTRUCTION as humanity hell-bent on destruction.  Or, we can choose to become the wielding of MASS INTERVENTION as a humanity realizing its limits and responsibility to making life work for all life on the planet. 

So, PLEASE!  Jump in. Get involved.   

After all ...  It's only about the future of Outdoors in the USA.


River Mud: Conservation Needs Soldiers, Not Cheerleaders

Forum to address global warming, invasive species for Lake Superior

Cause Announcement from Protect Lake Superior

GRAND MARAIS - From an enticing turquoise to a sublime dark blue, Lake Superior has many faces that influence the land it borders and the people settled on its shores. But as the lake affects us, we're affecting the lake. That's the topic of the Lake Superior Binational Forum held in Grand Marais Sept. 11.

The forum will host speakers discussing environmental and economic issues related to Lake Superior, while gathering input from the public on what they think some of the problems are.

"We try to travel all around the lake, so we can learn about the important issues that are in that community, so we can tell that back to the governments that manage the lakeshores," said Lissa Radke of Ashland, Wis., coordinator of the Lake Superior Binational Forum.

Composed of Canadian and American members, the group aims to consult government, industry and "environmental stakeholders on the restoration and protection of Lake Superior," according to its Web site. Hosting public gatherings four times a year in Canada and the U.S., the forum gathers information on issues such as critical pollutants, sustainability
indicators, land use and invasive species. It also informs the public on issues related to Lake Superior.
Usually forums have themes, Radke said, and the Grand Marais meeting will deal with "Managing Lake Superior's Parks and Protected Areas."

"We heard they were investigating how climate change and user impact is affecting the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore," she said, adding that as a result they invited Gregg Bruff, chief of heritage education and outreach at the park to discuss global warming.

"We will talk about climate change and how people can minimize their carbon footprints," she said, adding that invasive species will also be on the list of topics. "There is a real big problem for rural areas with invasive species. We're trying to get information out to people on how we can prevent the spread in recreational areas."

Ron Sundell, a geography professor at Northern Michigan University, is the co-chairman of the eco-system committee for the forum. He has been a member of the Forum for the past six years, and he will be part of the Grand Marais meeting.

"It's not just about the environment but also the economic well-being," he said. "A lot of us live here because of the lake."

He added that people's input could impact how environmental policies governing Lake Superior will be set.

"Personally, I think everybody should attend because of the lake and eco-region that we're part of ... we live in it and everything we do affects us and the lake," he said.

The public forum begins at 1 p.m. at the Community Center in Grand Marais. Besides Bruff, a presentation on the management of natural resources in the Hiawatha National Forest by Theresa Chase, district ranger; and a presentation on the management of natural resources on private land by the Nature Conservancy of the Upper Peninsula will be held.

For more information, go to www.superiorforum.org/forum

Tyler Hamilton
Cause Creator

Posted via email from les O'fieldstream