The last two Sundays, Minneapolis Star Tribune outdoor columnist Dennis Anderson has touched a statewide nerve, calling for a State Capitol rally of conservationists to demand restoration of duck populations -- by targeting the need to restore and protect rapidly vanishing wetland habitat. It's a heartening cry, and one that offers hope not just for ducks, but for a reconciliation of the outdoor and environmental communities, which waste too much time fighting each other while the real foes destroy our cherished national heritage.
Here's Anderson's column today:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/533/5143494.html
And here's an excerpt from a letter to the editor about last week's column that gives me hope:
"What to do: The rift between "hunter conservationists" and "environmentalists" must be bridged. The critical mass of political power necessary for the gigantic endeavor of rebuilding Minnesota's broken landscapes will never be realized while these natural allies view each other as the enemy.
In fact, the real enemies of hunters, bird watchers and tree huggers alike -- and I proudly claim to embody all three -- are large agri-business, chemical/petroleum companies, giant food corporations and the political machine of leeches that sucks on them all."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/503/5143708.html
Perhaps Michigan's wetland backers should organize a similar campaign -- and rally at the Capitol.
Posted by Dave at December 19, 2004 01:26 PM