As sure as a bear sleeps in the woods, conditions are ripe for an era of cooperation between outdoorsmen and environmentalists.
You heard right. We’re talking hook and bullet meets tree hugger. Perhaps not a match made in heaven, but one whose time has come.
For decades, elements who abuse public lands and waters for profit have pushed a campaign to discredit those whose goal is environmental protection, effectively driving a wedge between those who hunt and fish and those who strive to safeguard the resources where these activities occur.
Protectionists have been cast as wild-eyed crazies horrified at the thought of catching or shooting anything, which is true among some individuals. A certain mistrust often exists between outdoorsmen, who tend toward conservatism, and protectionist organizations with a generally liberal bent.
But these groups also are well furbished with active sportsmen dedicated to the proposition that the best way to preserve good hunting and fishing is to protect our forest and rivers.
Considering the invasive policies of the Bush administration to roll back the wildlife sanctuary created by previous roadless regulation and to turn important game areas such as Colorado’s Roan Plateau into a Swiss cheese of gas wells, circumstances fairly shout for a new alliance.
It is at this point that Tim Snowden enters the fray. An active sportsman, the Brighton resident has assumed the wildlife chair for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club with the determination to use his outdoor connections to build a working relationship anchored in common concerns.
“Nationally, we have a Hunter/Angler group in the club, and I am slowly forming one here in the southern Rockies,” Snowden said. “To be sure, there are some members of the club that do not like any hunting, just as there are some hunters who would like to drive their ATVs on every square inch of the planet.
“These are both extremes, and I am working to build bridges for those of us are big enough to accept the virtues of both hunting and designated wilderness. I have always thought that we can be both outdoorsmen and environmentalists at the same time.”
To the extent that Snowden and the Sierra Club can join mainline organizations such as the Colorado Wildlife Federation in a clear voice for balanced outdoor values, our wild areas will be a better place for all. And our bear will continue to have woods to sleep in.
A matter of the heart
A cynic might pass it off as a middle-aged man’s bid for a second bite from the apple, a chance to re-enact treasured fishing days once shared with his kids, now grown and far off.
Whatever the reason, he jumped at the chance a few years back when the teenage son of a close friend asked to go on a fishing trip. Whether toting rods on a bike up Waterton Canyon or simple sunset visits to local ponds, the boy invigorated the man with his enthusiasm and unflagging good cheer.
So it was with shock and sadness that news came last September that Kyle O’Connell, now 26, was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumors. After two highly invasive surgeries and extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Kyle’s irrepressible spirit remains. So do overwhelming medical bills.
As an expression of thanks for all those precious days of renewal, this writer will serve as guide for a day of fishing at a private trout club for the “Reel in Kyle’s Bills” raffle to be conducted through a local network.
The $10 tickets may be obtained through a secure online site: aipcolorado.com/HelpKyle.htm, or by check mailed to: Kyle O’Connell Cancer Fund, Box 283, Nederland, CO 80466.
The winner of the July 4 drawing also receives a St. Croix 4-weight fly rod and a Redington reel.
Listen to Charlie Meyers at 9 a.m. each Saturday on “The Fan Outdoors,” KKFN 950 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com.
