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Accountability isn’t a word we always associate with officials or organizations that purport to be acting in the public interest—or, in the case of conservation organizations, the interests of their members.
Politicians make campaign promises, break them, then begin the shameless process of torturing the English language in attempt to explain why they did what they did. At the end of the day, too few are held accountable at the ballot box. What’s more, very few conservation groups define their priorities or, when they do, accept responsibility when their pet public policy initiatives are nixed by either Congress or some other elected body.
That’s why I find it refreshing that the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) has released a policy agenda for 2008. The agenda was developed by a laundry list of leading national hunting, fishing and conservation groups—the organization’s so-called partner groups—and it is very ambitious.
It’s refreshing because the group’s agenda is full of specifics—and specifics allow everyone—group members, the press, etc.—to ascertain whether or not the TRCP (and its partner groups) are fulfilling their mission. In other words, by putting forth an agenda, the TRCP has made itself accountable—and that’s good news for natural resources conservation.
“It’s important for us to identify and retain our focus on a well-defined set of core issues,” said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper. “Our policy council, which includes several of the foremost minds in the fish and wildlife conservation community, plays an essential role by helping plan a path toward progress. Notably, in the coming year, we’ll be joined on that path by a growing number of union sportsmen, an emerging force in the effort to guarantee all Americans a place to hunt and fish.”
Okay, good. At the end of the day, we’ll be able to judge promises made, and promises delivered. Then we’ll be able to decide whether or not the TRCP is worth supporting. Based on the group’s leadership and short history of focused advocacy, my hunch is that the TRCP will be well worth supporting.
The TRCP’s policy agenda is built on three guiding principles: expanding access to places to hunt and fish; conserving habitat necessary to sustain fish and wildlife; and increase funding for conservation and management.
Among the TRCP’s policy agenda items (there are several) are the Federal Farm Bill, the country’s single largest investment in fish and wildlife on private lands, and energy development, specifically protecting fish and wildlife habitat on our public lands from ill-advised energy exploration. In addition, in 2008, the TRCP will unveil its We Are Wetlands initiative, a two-year campaign to increase the public’s awareness to the importance of wetlands preservation.
The Farm Bill is currently in conference committee, and it’s the goal of the TRCP that the final bill has a strong conservation title, including increased overall funding. According to the TRCP, Congress should support Open Fields, a TRCP signature issue that would simultaneously promote sportsmen’s access and healthy habitat, and Sodsaver, which would protect native grassland while reducing wasteful spending. I couldn’t agree more.
The TRCP has led the fight against short-sighted public lands energy development, and the group intends to do more of the same in 2008. According to the TRCP, in the last decade, more than 26 million acres of public land in the Intermountain West, an area larger than Virginia, have been leased for energy development.
In addition, during the same period, roughly 20 percent of Wyoming has been leased. And, according to the TRCP, all too often the leased lands are critical habitat for elk, mule deer, antelope, sage grouse and trout—species that hunters and anglers covet. While the TRCP is not against all development, it believes that significant reforms are needed in the federal energy leasing process. Until this happens, our fish and wildlife resources, along with our opportunities as sportsmen, are in jeopardy, the group believes.
First-time entries on the TRCP’s agenda include climate change education and legislation and reforming the outdated hard-rock mining law. Let’s talk about climate change, particularly educating the public on its impacts to fish and wildlife habitat.
Climate change “might be among the greatest threats” to our nation's fish and wildlife, according to the TRCP. One potential remedy: A new funding source (legislation) that would help the state agencies manage fish and wildlife in the face of climate change. That can be done in part by improving and enhancing wildlife habitat.
According to the TRCP, hunters and anglers must press their congressional representatives and the Bush administration on the importance of dealing with climate change through improved fish and wildlife habitat.
The good news is that the TRCP is taking nothing for granted on this issue. In 2008, the TRCP and its partner organizations, including AFL-CIO unions, will continue to educate sportsmen about the impacts of climate change and work with Congress to secure a new funding source for state fish and wildlife agencies.
An ambitious agenda, indeed.
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