SADLER: A look at conservation and the next administration

Before returning to civilization here in the Valley, I spent 27 years in Washington, D.C., working on public policy. For the last 10 years I worked on issues directly impacting hunting, fishing and land conservation. During a recent visit back to D.C., I was asked to offer my opinion on the outlook for hunting and fishing issues in the next administration.

There were two questions.

First: With either administration, where do you think conservation will fall and what will the priorities be? What about for Congress?

Second: Both campaigns talk of change – what do you think this means for an Obama vs. McCain administration in terms of our interests and how things are done in D.C.?

Here is what I told them.

First: Based on what I hear and read I don’t think conservation will be a particularly high priority for either administration, or Congress for that matter. The current issues in play — the war and the economy — will dominate the agenda. Social issues such as health care and education tend to trump the conservation issues. Human health and the environment still have a larger organized constituency than the hunting and fishing constituency.

That said, there are a couple of areas that will demand their attention and are of interest to the hunting and fishing community.

Development of natural resources that directly impact our economic health will dominate at least the first part of the new administration’s term in office. Congress recently removed a prohibition on some offshore drilling that had been in place since the first Bush administration.

The conflict is apt to come in the no drilling or development vs. the responsible drilling and development areas. I don’t think any reasonable person believes we can conserve our way to energy security. The need for additional energy, both globally and nationally, is such that additional resources will need to be brought on line. None of the current or near-term resources, be they wind, solar, nuclear, coal, oil or gas, are without environmental externalities.

Opportunities to exploit this conflict for the sake of a political agenda may be more than some people can resist. The hunting and fishing community may very well have a deciding impact on this conflict.

It seems to me that being not just advocates for responsible energy development but also putting workable solutions on the table will give the community a chance to play a positive role. I think the same case can be made for reforming the way we regulate mining in this country.

The impact of global climate change is another challenge that the incoming administration will likely face early on. The fact that, like the issue of oil and gas development, climate change legislation moved as far as it did in the Congress foreshadows the attention this issue will gather in the next Congress. If Congress takes this issue up early, as many predict, then the new administration will have to be engaged.

Again the hunting and fishing community will be a positive factor in this debate. Clearly there is a lot at stake for the community. Hunters and anglers will face more and more challenges as habitat, migration routes, temperature and rainfall change. Addressing the next 100 years of fish and wildlife management will require an understanding of and planning for the impacts of climate change.

Leaving aside the pros and cons of the regulatory and economic models used to address the impacts of climate change, the community will have a large financial stake in how the issue is dealt with. Funding for many of the important elements for addressing climate change will be embedded in any legislative or regulatory package that moves to enactment.

Beyond direct funding for addressing climate change, the economic driver that recreational hunting and fishing represents is also important. The hunting and angling community is inextricably tied to the fate of habitat, land use, weather and migratory patterns in this country. We ignore them at our peril.

The Bush administration and many of the national hunting organizations have been working on a compilation of policy options for the next administration. These options were presented and discussed at the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy this month.

This is good and important work, for it will provide the new guys a road map and guide to the hunting and fishing related conservation challenges they will face. It provides an opportunity for hunting and fishing conservation leaders to set the stage for the future. It could prove to be an important meeting for either administration to learn from.

Second: The second question is harder to answer. The fact of the matter is, we are going to get change. There will be a new administration. The make-up in Congress will change.

The change both candidates are advocating, as I understand it, is in policies and politics. So the question for the hunting and fishing community is what kind of change in policy or politics will be the best for our interests.

I firmly believe hunting- and fishing-related conservation issues are non-partisan. I also believe that elections could turn on the “hunting and fishing vote.” In no small part due to the works of the national hunting and fishing organizations, there has been a growing appreciation by the rank-and-file hunter and angler to the importance of conservation.

These better-informed sportsmen and sportswomen are now looking at elected officials through recreational and conservation lenses. These voters have made the connection that access, opportunity, habitat and policy are all interrelated. The national organizations have done a wonderful job on this score.

Here is my biggest concern about the future administration of each candidate.

In the case of Sen. McCain, there seems to be a focus on rights. Rights are tricky issues. They can be carried to extremes whether they are gun rights, private property rights or rights to use public land any way you want.

I know he has good people around him who understand the importance of conservation, but it appears, at least at this point, that the political question of gun rights has become the defining issue for “sportsmen,” at least in the mind of the campaign.

Sen. McCain has shown he has an understanding of the importance of conservation. His administration could miss out on the heritage of America’s conservation legacy so deeply rooted in the traditions of hunting and fishing if they focus only on the issue of rights.

In Sen. Obama’s case, he faces a different challenge. I worry he could fall victim to a push from the left, which may turn traditional hunting and fishing folks away. The rhetoric of the anti-hunting and anti-fishing groups ignores the contributions of hunters and anglers.

Those groups see the environmental groups as natural allies. The environmental groups still view hunters and anglers with suspicion. The combined agendas may leave little room for the views of sportsmen.

Sen. Obama has shown an understanding of conservation issues as well. He has good people advising him on the link to hunting and fishing. An agenda that ignores the historical and current contributions of this nation’s hunters and anglers and their concern and activism in support of the environment will force these potential allies away.

Regardless of who is elected, they must seek out America’s hunters and anglers or they will miss out on the sound experiential advice the traditional hunting and fishing community brings to the table.

Valley sportsmen and sportswomen are an important voice in the coming elections — not just the presidential elections but the congressional elections as well.

As you consider who to vote for, remember the role we play in influencing the local and national policy agenda. Learn all you can about what the candidates think about issues of importance to sportsmen and sportswomen.

If you belong to a national hunting and fishing organization, learn about the issues from them. If you don’t belong to a national organization, consider joining one. These organizations amplify your voice and help convince our elected officials.

Change starts at the grassroots level. Starting with the county elections all the way up to the president. Being knowledgeable about the issues and where the candidates stand is essential. Getting out and voting even more so.

Editor’s Note: Tom Sadler is an avid fly-fisherman, guide and instructor and founder of The Middle River Group, an organization that provides diverse business expertise to the conservation and wildlife management community and the hunting, fishing and shooting sports industry.
Previously he worked in Washington with several conservation groups including the Izaak Walton League and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
You can contact Tom Sadler by e-mail at