Hatch Magazine prods us with a reminder that our waters as well as our lands are still under assault.
I'm old enough to remember when lakes and rivers across the nation were seriously polluted, and to have seen the progress made under the Clean Water Act and other efforts spearheaded by the EPA. Now all that progress is in danger of being lost. On purpose. Keep the focus, save our waters, vote them out.
These are the names of prominent persons in the fly fishing industry who have signed on to a letter demanding that Scott Pruitt resign as head of the Environmental Protection Agency:
Todd Tanner Yvon Chouinard Ted Williams Craig & Jackie Mathews Kirk Deeter Greg Thomas Tim Romano Hilary Hutcheson Chad Brown Marshall Cutchin Tom Bie Phil Monahan Brandon Shuler Tim & Joanne Linehan Wade Fellin Bill Klyn Steve Zakur Chris Madson Mike Sepelak Chad Love Marc Payne John Arnold Brian Bennett Paul Moinester Terry Gibson Tim Harden Earl Harper Matthew Reilly Tom Davis Seamus McGraw Erin Block Tom Sadler Johnny Carrol Sain Pat Clayton Dylan Tomine Chad Shmukler Add my name in BIG LETTERS. For the full text of the letter at Hatch Magazine click HERE.
This film by outdoor journalist Kris Millgate is posted on the Hatch Magazine site. Click on the link for the accompanying story. Money quote:
The National Wildlife Federation, national membership 6 million, sent me around the country to ask members what public lands mean to them. The film Your Land was the result. Trout Unlimited, national membership 154,500, launched 30 Days of Public Lands in September. Stories of public lands and the people who use them. And Backcountry Hunters and Anglers sold t-shirts. A plain black t-shirt with three words in block letters across the chest: Public Land Owner. They’ve sold 1,000. On a national scale, that’s barely a bleep, but the ball just started rolling. BHA is small and young compared to NWF and TU, but its national membership doubled to 7,500 in 2016. And it reaches 1 million people weekly on Facebook. They’re on to something and now the rest of the nation is too. Power to the public.
On a personal note, tell me why you would want to give up your hunting and fishing lands--and a whole way of life, and the legacy of your children and grandchildren--so a few rich bastards can get even richer and grind you down even further.
November has been exceptionally mild--until now. This past week was the last chance for summer-like temperatures with the highs on Thursday and Friday pushing 80 degrees. Now it's Saturday morning, and the bottom has fallen out. It's 37 degrees outside right now, and we may get up to the predicted 48 degrees today, but I doubt it. The long-range forecast confirms the change: highs in the 40's until, well, until they're in the 30's. Then the 20's.
In years past I have been able to get out to fish on at least some of those last warm days of the year. It didn't happen this year. My current role as shuttle driver and primary child care provider means I can only get out on weekends. So I had to sit at home all this past week while the warm weather trickled away like sand in an hour glass. There is always a period of mourning for the warm days when cold weather sets in. Memories of time well spent enjoying those beautiful days helps ameliorate the pain. And when your own memories aren't as rich and full as you would wish, there are the shared memories of fellow fishermen. This essay is one of those shared memories. It celebrates the last warm days, and finds a deeper meaning in them. It is written in the present tense, but the glorious time it describes is soon to be--or already is--lost in the shadows of a wintry sky. May we all find memories to keep us warm in the cold time.
