If you have a cause, such as a love for trout, you should tell others why we need to save brook trout. A Brook trout mean nothing to the guy who loves to trail ride but has no interest to fish. In their eyes, trout fishermen are stupid cause there are a ton of trout in other places. What the offroad community doesn’t know is that natural Brookie streams are becoming fewer and fewer. The Upper Tellico is one of the last remaining Brookie streams in the Southeast. Brook Trout can’t live just anywhere. Brook Trout aren’t farmed at the Tellico as the average person might think. In all reality, I’d be willing to bet that even the offroaders who don’t fish would be more willing to save the stream if they understood what exactly was at stake.

Dewayne

Anyway, I would understand why a group like TU wouldn’t toss money at this thing. They feel that they have the law on their side, they didn’t create the problem, so why should they throw money at it. But maybe we could start a new way of doing things where we help the other side do the right thing instead of just telling them they have to? I’d be more likely to give my money to a cause like that than to legal battles. I’m just sayin’…

Nathan

Nathan

As a fly fishing community, we should represent our sport with as much pride and humility as possible. Why? If we believe in protecting the environment, and I’m pretty sure most of us do, how will we convince the other side of our goals and beliefs if we point fingers, call them names, and act like a bunch of arrogant jerks? And yes, fly fishing has it’s jerks, I’ve seen a few. Let’s face it, we aren’t any better than anyone else. Maybe if we were kind and sincere in dealing with issues, others would not see us as a bully trying to force our ideas on those who oppose. Do we really listen to the other side and try to explain why we believe what we do? I’d say that relationships with those who have pull in this country, could be a big plus for us. Because one day we too will need the help of an outside party, who might be willing if we haven’t destroyed relationships with them in the past.

It’s not always just fly fishermen, the people on the other side of the issue tend to act like children as well. But someone has to be the bigger person, and it looks better if it’s us. Why disrespect someone who made a wrong decision, which might have been the only option at the time, when they have the same love as we do? Maybe there were more options, but did we offer any ideas? Why wait for someone else to take action when we can do it ourselves. I’ll give you the secret word..and it’s called “PROACTIVE.” It burns me up for people to say, “Let’s buy tickets to an event, then when _________ arrives we should all stand up, turn our backs, and leave!” If I am thinking correctly here, I’d bet these people put more thought into disrespecting this person rather than trying to solve any current issues. That way when the wrong decision is made later down the road, they can think of another creative way to insult the next person.

My intent with this wasn’t to make fun of people, but I felt the need to say what was on my mind. I don’t always agree with everyone, especially on environmental issues. However, I do think we can be a little more civil on our approach and perhaps win over a few to our side. Maybe they don’t really understand about the environmental issues at stake, and we should present reasons why a decision should or shouldn’t be made. Just food for thought, and if you don’t need any brain food….well, I guess just continue on with what makes you tick.

Dewayne

Guess you’re pretty riled up, eh Nathan?

Maybe we should have had more drinking sessions together…

http://www.fishingtalks.com/trout-unlimited-tv-program-101565.html

I came across an interesting letter from the Tennessee Chairman of TU in which he isn’t nearly as hostile to the offroaders as they might think:

http://www.lrctu.org/pdf/TNTUresponsetoOHV_1_.pdf

It seems to me like the issue is probably that the Forest Service simply doesn’t have the resources to take care of the problems, so they’ve decided to close the area altogether (that’d be the cheapest alternative). If that’s the case, the parties involved need to join together and get something done. And it really shouldn’t just be the 4 wheelers footing the bill. TU and the other groups should pitch in some cash, too. I saw where just two years ago TU and SFWDA were working together to clean up the trails. The efforts should be aimed at getting back to that, and really fixing the problems this time.

Nathan

I know exactly what you’re saying about using and even inventing some of this purely for political reasons. I think it’s possible a lot of that has been done with “global warming” or its new PC name “climate change.” I think it might be happening and it might be our fault, but I don’t like it when data to the contrary is shot down purely for political reasons. And it has happened on a large scale. If the best minds think it might be happening, then let’s see how we can best go about trying to fix what they think might be causing it. It can’t hurt to work on cutting down on greenhouse emissions, but let’s not freak out over the whole deal and run around like a bunch of chicken littles, at least not until we’re sure the sky is falling. Don’t say it is when you don’t know, just to further some other agenda. We can only do what we can do, as I’m sure Yogi would say. There are several things like this that have far too much political stench coming from them: offshore drilling, ANWR, etc. And, to be fair, all the stench isn’t just from the environmentalists. I’m for trying to become more energy independent, but don’t pretend that drilling offshore is suddenly going to fix all the problems and provide us with plentiful $.05 gas.

Speaking for myself, I just want to know what the real problems are. Not the invented ones. I don’t care which party supports what on these things before I hear about them. I want to know what the real problems, real benefits, real consequences are without political taintings. How I hate freaking campaign slogans like “Drill Baby Drill” and “Change We Can Believe In.” That tells me absolutely nothing. I would be so happy each party would just give us the bottom line and not pretend like their solution doesn’t carry its own consequences just like the other side’s does. Give us as Americans the real, honest-go-goodness data and let us make up our minds which are the most important and how things should be prioritized. Don’t feed us pre-prioritized garbage. I’ve seen real data on salmon, and I’ve decided I’d like to save the ones we have left if we can. Others might not agree, but everyone deserves to be fed the real data. Let’s not pretend there aren’t negative consequences to trying to save them. But let us also not pretend there aren’t negative consequences to not trying to save.

Anyway, I’ve had way too much caffeine this week…

People ask where the money will come from to build the new power sources…

Do you know how much money we the taxpayers are pumping into saving the salmon right now using methods that aren’t working? It’s millions upon millions! Why not put some of that money into building new power plants? Why not put some into building new rail lines to help farmers transport their crops once the dams are gone? I don’t know…I’m just tired of watching stuff that doesn’t work and seeing no progress made at all simply because neither side will budge from pointless idealogical positions. Once again, I’d think the idea is to actually accomplish good, not simply shout from an idealogical hilltop.

Nathan

You and I both know that just about everyone out there wants clean air and water, healthy fish, and a bright and healthy future for our children. You’d have real problems if you didn’t. The problem is that sometimes there are conflicts and some of those conflicts aren’t easily solved. I see lots of fly fishermen complain about the dams out West stopping the salmon. I understand why they’re so concerned. The salmon are almost gone. But they have offered very few solutions about how to replace the power generated by the dams. And, make no mistake, that power must be either replaced or enough must be conserved so that the dams aren’t needed for that purpose. You can’t just turn the lights out. No one will buy into that. But then you mention building a nuclear or coal plant to replace the power, and they freak out about that, too. Well then, what’s the solution? We need real-world solutions, not just rhetoric! We as concerned citizens (not environmentalists, liberals, conservatives, or whatever) need to think about how to actually solve the problems, and sometimes we might have to accept a lesser evil to correct a greater.

I really am just so tired of politics these days. Nothing ever seems to get done, even on things we all agree on. I can understand when nothing gets done on a fundamental disagreement where the lines are clearly drawn, but when we all, for example, agree that salmon need to be saved, why can’t we figure out something that will work, at least in the short term? I’m just sick of it…

Nathan

I do whole-heartedly agree with you on your assessment of Cheney and the museum. Much of the whining and hand-wringing I’ve read on it comes from people who’ve admittedly never been to the museum, never contributed to it and – dare I say it – may not have even HEARD about it until now.

Unfortunately we (American society) have polarized ourselves into groups and created a super-charged atmosphere where people are not only offended at every little thing, but they actively seek out something to be offended by.

I read a quote somewhere that said, “I refuse to give you the right to offend me.” Makes a lot of sense..

My only caution is this: whenever I here the term ‘conservation’ or ‘environmentalism,’ I can’t help but bristle a little bit. I don’t think it’s arguable that the environmental movement has been used to advance a particular political agenda (I want to say more about that, but I won’t). So, whenever something like this or any other ‘save the _fill-in-the-blank_’ comes up, I’d just caution everyone to really take a deep breath, stand back, and analyze all sides of the equation.

I personally do not believe anyone WANTS bad air, dirty water, or fish kills. I do think our decisions on all of it need to be discussed and debated, but let’s get the sensationalism off the table.

RTR