My Daughter, Cidney, with her first fish

I love this little girl.

Celebrating Clean Water

This month we celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which was signed into law in 1972 with strong bipartisan support to protect waters and wetlands that are vital to people and wildlife. This particular piece of legislation is special to me.  It works to ensure that my daughter will be able catch and eat blue-ribbon trout with her children just 30 minutes from the urban sprawl of Missoula. It is also special because my friend and mentor, Jim Range, contributed to the writing and passage of the Clean Water Act while working for Senator Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), the Senate Majority Leader at the time. While Jim has unfortunately passed on, the image of him casting into the fading sunlight on the Missouri River, a river he helped protect, will always be etched in my memory.

The National Wildlife Federation has played a key role in this great conservation win, mobilizing members and our affiliates to support and defend the Clean Water Act for all of its 40 years. I couldn’t be more proud of our efforts and countless other hunters and anglers from across the country who have made clean water a priority. Our rivers are no longer burning and no longer smelling of odors so foul you’d be crazy to so much as dip a toe in them. This is quite a success story. Sadly, too many take this success for granted. For years now, the Clean Water Act has been under attack in Washington D.C. and across the country. We are losing Clean Water Act protections for streams, lakes, and wetlands. Despite the great strides we have made, some of the most important habitats for fish and wildlife are now at risk.

Share Your Fish Tales

My daughter and I fishing on Rock Creek

Here’s the idea: post your fish photos and stories in support of clean water on our “fish-tales” Flickr group. Now, if your photos are anything like my mine, you’ve got plenty of happily “gripping and grinning” shots with big fish. But don’t feel limited to just your greatest catch—submit photos of the water body your fish came from, and pictures of your child’s first fishing experience, and other fishing memories. Send along your short fish tale and describe why clean water matters to you.

My daughter turned four this year and caught her first fish. Well, let’s say the fish caught her. Her smile says it all. Let us celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and know that when its upheld and made stronger that a whole new generation of Montana “Sushi Girls” are waiting in the wings, counting on us to provide them with the same opportunities my daughter has today.

Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Law Enforcement officer checks for compliance of fishing license. Photo provided by USFWS.

The uptick in numbers is a welcome addition to agencies facing more and more challenges. Hunting and fishing license fees make up the vast majority of state fish and wildlife agency budgets which fund the folks in charge of maintaining fish and wildlife as a public trust for all of us. In addition to license funds  being dedicated to the management of fish and wildlife, sportsmen and women have had the foresight to tax themselves to promote conservation through the purchase of the gear they use. This comes in the form of excise taxes on guns, ammunition, bows and arrows, and fishing equipment.

One of NWF’s first achievements was the passage of the Wildlife Restoration Act in 1937, commonly referred to as the Pittman-Robertson Act. This Act established the first excise taxes to be collected into the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Fund and distributed to states based on population and acreage.  Since its inception, the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Fund has provided more than $14 billion to support fish and wildlife restoration and management. Not only does the purchase of equipment help stimulate our economy, it also helps pay for conservation and restoration efforts to insure our traditions continue.

Another ascending number to note in the Survey is the number of participants in wildlife watching.  Last year this group of 72 million Americans contributed $55 billion to our nation’s economy. Yes, this population includes some hunters and anglers, but it is an independently growing recreational activity.  While all three categories are based on sustainable habitats, one big difference between the hunting/angling and wildlife-watching communities is wildlife-watchers have not yet taxed their gear to contribute to conservation and don’t pay license fees to watch wildlife.  Attempts have been made to place excise taxes similar to those on guns and ammunition to binoculars, cameras, backpacks, etc.- but to no avail. I have high hopes in the American people that these attempts are not over.

For now, let us celebrate this good news, revel in it, and plot and scheme for the future!

Are you a wildlife watcher?