You’ve watched the eye-catching ads on TV, seen the flashy billboards. So much for the pomp and pageantry.
The question being shouted by many Colorado sportsmen is, when will the Public Education Advisory Council advertising campaign get down to the real nitty-gritty for which it was intended?
“The TV commercials are about how great the Division of Wildlife is,” wrote an irate James McArdle. “I thought this money was going to be spent to teach the general public the value and benefits of hunting, fishing and trapping and all the support that sportsmen provide to the benefit of all wildlife.”
The Highlands Ranch resident touched a nerve concerning what many regard as a timid beginning to an initiative approved by the Colorado General Assembly on a wave of broad sportsman support. The pitch that sold the program was to inform the public of the vital role sportsmen play in support of the state’s wildlife.
What they’re received thus far for the 75-cent levy on every license during the first two years of the program is a calculated go-slow delivery to the message. For some, the pace seems far too plodding for comfort.
The council, along with Extra Strength Communications, the public relations firm it hired, has mapped a three-stage approach to its educational task.
The first phase intended to establish that the Division of Wildlife is the agency officially entrusted with the management of Colorado’s wildlife resources.
In year 2, the current stage extending through June, the campaign reinforces this same notion while introducing the concept that no public funds are spent in the process. It also touts the agency’s role in the care and reintroduction of native species.
“We found that most people didn’t understand the importance of wildlife management and the role of the Division of Wildlife,” said Jeff Rucks, the lone DOW representative on the council. “We determined it was essential to get people to believe in what we do before we get into who pays the bill.”
It must be noted that as a legislative creation, PEAC is a totally independent body and in no way is governed by DOW.
“People should realize that all the folks on the council are avid hunters and anglers. They’re the ones who believe in this message,” Rucks explained. “It’s just taking longer than most would have liked.”
Not until year 3 does the crusade express the core communication, the one sportsmen bought into in the first place. As McArdle suggests, you’d think that such an expensive campaign might have concocted a way to whisper something about hunting and fishing somewhere along the way.
As activities whose practitioners are dwindling for a variety of societal reasons, hunting and fishing indeed are in need of a public relations boost. This message about how sportsmen’s licenses almost exclusively pay the freight for the propagation of wildlife in this and most other states is one way to boost morale and, perhaps, participation.
That’s the sermon sportsmen want delivered, and they need to hear it early and often.
