Having
a “Fisherman’s Friend” in the White House is vital.
“Nature… It’s good for people’s souls and minds…” ─
George W. Bush
WASHINGTON,
D.C. –– The 50 million fishermen and hunters in the country will
be called upon November 7th to cast their votes to elect
the next President of the United States and chart the direction of the
new millennium and the future course of the outdoors.
Fishermen,
hunters and outdoorsmen have valid concerns about the fate of their
recreational sports.
The next administration will decide key issues about mounting
gun control legislation, lawsuits against legal sporting arms
manufacturers, stewardship over the sportsmen’s Pittman-Robertson
and Wallop-Breaux funds and widespread use of chemical herbicides that
destroy aquatic vegetation and fishing habitat.
“Having
a fisherman’s friend – an outdoorsman – in the White House is
vital to the understanding of the outdoors and conservation
concerns,” says Ray Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman
Society (B.A.S.S.), a 600,000 member fishing and conservation
organization.
Scott
of Pintlala,
Alabama
, a 67-year old life-long fisherman and hunter, is eagerly
anticipating a fishing friend in the oval office in the person of
presidential candidate Governor George W. Bush of
Texas
.
“George
W. is a bona fide bassin’ man – a lifetime member of B.A.S.S. –
and understands outdoorsmen.
He’s personally dedicated to preserving our wildlife
resources and the environment he, too, enjoys so much,” Scott
claims.
Scott
says the unchecked use of chemical poisons and herbicides in an all
out “War on Weeds” is destroying the aquatic vegetation in lakes
all across the country.
“This is one of the biggest challenges to quality bass
fishing in the future,” believes Scott, who was named by Field &
Stream magazine as one of the “top twenty persons to influence the
outdoors sports in the past century.”
“I
know George W. Bush,” adds Scott, “and he knows the problem.”
As far as Scott is concerned the
Texas
governor showed his mettle during the “Battle of Bastrop” – a
popular bass fishing impoundment near
Austin
– two years ago.
Scott
explains, “
Bastrop
was on the hit list for chemical herbicides to wipe out aquatic
vegetation, a total destruction of the fish-holding habitat.
A similar fate that befell
Alabama
’s
Lake
Guntersville
, the Santee-Cooper lakes in
South Carolina
, and the Harris Chain in central
Florida
.
“On
behalf of a lot of agitated
Texas
fishermen and B.A.S.S. members, I asked Governor Bush to help get a
reprieve because we knew such action would kill the bass fishing in
Lake
Bastrop
. But,
more importantly,” continues Scott, “the bass fishermen knew the
vegetation could be controlled and managed by using a mechanical
harvester.
Our group asked for the opportunity to prove it.”
Scott
was delighted with Governor Bush’s response.
“He understood the issue and was open to ecology-friendly
alternatives to herbicides,” notes Scott.
Bush
obtained a cease-fire from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA),
who agreed to delay poisoning
Bastrop
until a mechanical harvester could be demonstrated as an alternative
solution.
Governor
Bush was not only present for the demonstration, along with Scott, but
operated the mechanical weed harvester, showing its grass-clearing
capabilities.
Texas
fishermen and other out-of-state anglers contributed the needed monies
to transport the mechanical weed harvester, borrowed from the
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in
Tennessee
.
Two
important events, for fishermen, happened in the wake of the
Bastrop
showdown.
The LCRA placed an order for a $200,000 state-of-the-art weed
harvester, and the outdoor coalition SMART, calling for “Sensible
Management of Aquatic Resources Team”, organized to halt the use of
widespread chemical spraying.
“As
Governor Bush observed,” Scott notes, “it’s time for new
thinking.
Poisoning our fishing and drinking waters is absolute
lunacy,” opines Scott.
“There’s a pro-chemical bureaucracy taking charge of our
public fishing waters and sportsmen need to challenge their
methods.”
Scott
urges sportsmen to be S.M.A.R.T. voters.
“Our position on the issue is simple: Chemical poison
herbicides should not be used to control and manage aquatic vegetation
in public waters until, or unless, every non-toxic mechanical or
manual method has been completely exhausted,” vows Scott.
During
the
Bastrop
crisis, Scott had the opportunity to hear Governor Bush’s views on
other issues facing sportsmen in the new century.
“I was impressed with his thoughts…he’s got more than a
sound bite on the six o’clock news.
“George
W. Bush understands the real meaning of fishing…that it’s more
than competition, angling skill or the thrill of catching a trophy
bass,” asserts Scott.
“He knows what it is to be in Nature.”
“As
he confirmed in a recent press interview, ‘It’s good for
people’s souls and minds,’” points out Scott. “Fishing clears
the mind and connects you to the Creator.
It’s not complicated nor too sophisticated, but personally I
welcome the leadership of a President who understands that.”
Scott
has, also, been assured by Bush that as President he will guard the
funds that fishermen contribute yearly to state fisheries through the
self-imposed federal excise taxes on fishing and boating equipment.
Scott, himself, worked for seven years alongside American
Fisheries Society and sportsmen to help pass the amendments to the
Sport Fishing Restoration Act (Wallop-Breaux bill).
With
its passage through the help of then Vice-President George Bush, the
Wallop-Breaux monies increased from $35 million to $102 million
yearly.
This has been a lunker-size benefit for every angler and
allowed states to better protect and improve their fisheries, Scott
declares.
“But
all is not well,” continues Scott.
“It is a scandal how the funds have been spent and misspent
under the current administration.”
The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and director Jamie Rappaport
Clark have been called to answer such claims by the General Accounting
Office and legislators.
Pittman-Robertson funds collected on sporting arms, ammunition
and equipment is also under the USFWS duties to appropriate monies to
state fish and game departments for programs that benefit hunters.
“It’s
a mess,” says Scott.
“Millions of dollars are unaccounted for in slipshod
accounting and funds have been spent on highly questionable projects
that have nothing to do with improving hunting and fishing.
On the contrary, there’s reason to believe animal-right
groups are hijacking the sportsmen’s funds.
As a fact, anti-hunting and fishing sentiment has steadily
grown during the Clinton-Gore administration.”
Some
$500 million in special-earmarked taxes are passed from sportsmen’s
pockets through the U.S. Treasury and deposited with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service annually.
Scott
claims the funds “have always been ripe for raiding.”
He says, “The lesson is that as sportsmen we’ve got to be
constantly vigilant and on-guard.”
As
Scott relates during George Bush’s days in the White House, a move
was undertaken to dip into the Wallop-Breaux monies.
“Fishermen were ready to riot and contacted myself and
B.A.S.S. to ask for help.
I talked with President George Bush and the political pressure
on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ended.
He protected the sportsmen’s welfare.”
So,
it is not so surprising how Ray Scott comes down on the side of
hunters and fishermen in the upcoming election.
“It is self-assuring to have a President in charge who
understands and supports the intended use of our sportsmen’s funds.
“I
know George W. Bush – as did President Bush before him – will be a
strong steward and guardian of our outdoors and the environment.
There’s rarely been a more critical time when having a
fisherman’s friend in the White House than our immediate future,”
concludes Scott.
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