heroes blog

Kurt Zuelsdorf, a former Hero of the Week, sent in this update:

Coastal Living Magazine's 2008 Tourism Award goes to Kurt Zuelsdorf of
Kayak Nature Adventures for his clean up efforts/eco-tours of Clam Bayou
Nature Park.

March 1st begins the 2008 Eco-Tour trash exchange program. "We don't do a
Returnable Deposit program here in Florida for our bottles and plastics, so
we do the next best thing," Says Kurt Z, " We provide a recreational &
educational outlet for people to appreciate nature. At the same time help
clean up the environment...in a kayak...for free!"

See Coastal Living Article Award here;

Labels: Hero Update

A federal district court ordered yesterday that additional water be spilled over the dams along the Columbia and Snake river systems this spring and summer to provide more natural river conditions for spawning salmon. This comes after the federal government's previous plan was thrown out by the courts because it did not meet the requirements to protect and restore salmon populations, according to the Endangered Species Act.

"The court's order is good news for fish and fishing communities in the Columbia River basin, but we are still a long way from solving this problem," said Todd True of Earthjustice, lead attorney for the fishing and conservation interests. "The federal agencies still must deliver a final plan that makes the major changes in dams and dam operations that our region needs. The draft plan they released last October is not a good start. We will see over the next 60 days whether they can change directions and meet the challenge."

The federal agencies have been given until May 5, 2008 to deliver a new final Biological Opinion (BiOp) that will guide salmon recovery efforts in the seven-state Columbia and Snake River basin for the next decade. (click here for the full story)

So, what should that guide to salmon recovery include?

Labels: Discussion Topics

Conservation organizations are nothing new, and it seems that every year an up-and-coming group of sportsmen and women form a group to tackle a different problem. In 2009, Trout Unlimited will celebrate it's 50th anniversary, while wast year saw the 80th anniversary of Ducks Unlimited and 25th anniversary of Pheasants Forever. PF celebrated their anniversary last month, and stories about some of the first chapters (such as this one) have been published in local papers across the nation.

So, which conservation organization do you feel has been the most successful?

Labels: Discussion Topics

More than 670 hunting and fishing clubs from all 50 states have sent a letter to Congress and took out a full-page ad in USA Today to urge Congress to take action on global warming.

Sportsmen are calling for comprehensive climate change legislation that cuts global warming by 2 percent per year through a cap-and-trade system and includes dedicated funding for fish and wildlife conservation and restoration.

'Climate change is a major threat to the future of our wildlife, and we're running out of time to do something about it,' said retired state Fish and Game wildlife biologist Eric Orff, now of the National Wildlife Federation. 'We've spent a century fighting to protect wildlife, wild places and our natural heritage. We will not sit by and do nothing while climate change threatens to wipe it all out.'

Click here for the whole story

Can sportsmen actually make a difference against Global Warming? Should they?

Labels: Discussion Topics

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is asking a federal judge to withdraw papers that were submitted to add the sage grouse to the endangered species list. Adding sage grouse to the endangered species list could mean tighter restrictions on oil, housing, and agricultural development across the Rocky Mountain West.

The battle between the USFWS and the Western Watersheds Project on the protection of sage grouse has been going on since 2005, when the Western Watersheds Project sued the USFWS when the grouse did not make the endangered species list.

In December, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a decision highly critical of the agency's decision, saying the service failed to use the "best science" available when deciding not to give the declining species protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

As part of the remedy phase of the lawsuit, the agency and the Western Watersheds Project worked out an agreement, called a stipulation of remand, that set a timetable for various actions, with a final decision to be made by the agency in May 2009.

Now the agency wants out of that agreement. Click here for the whole story.

So, should the sage grouse be on the endangered species list? And, is this another case of the oil industry trumping wildlife?

Labels: Discussion Topics

This past Sunday, Field & Stream and Toyota hosted a roundtable discussion at the SHOT Show. Moderated by F&S Conservation Editor, Bob Marshall, the panel was made up of Jeff Crane, president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation; George Cooper, president and C.E.O. of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Howard Vincent, president and C.E.O. of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever; and Lyle Laverty, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

Of the many important issues facing sportsman, the ones singled out by the panel were: public access, wetlands, energy development, the Farm Bill, bio-fuel, youth participation, and climate change.

What do you think is the most important issue facing hunters and anglers this year, especially with the upcoming election?

Labels: Discussion Topics