SADLER: Obama’s appointments will impact hunters, anglers

Hunters and anglers have an opportunity to be heard by President-elect Barack Obama’s team as they begin to sort through and prioritize the issues and challenges facing the country.

Obama’s campaign made great use of the Internet and social media when he ran for president. His transition project is using it to reach out to the American public for ideas. A new Web site, http://www.Change.gov lets you, not only follow the transition process, but offer your ideas.

Why is this important?

Here is a quote from Change.gov, “Barack Obama and Joe Biden recognize that we must forge a broad coalition if we are to address the great conservation challenges we face. America’s hunters and anglers are a key constituency that must take an active role and have a powerful voice in this coalition.”

According to the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, “Each year, more than 87 million people in the U.S. venture outdoors to hunt, fish and enjoy other wildlife-related recreation contributing over $120 billion to our economy and supporting close to three million jobs.”

We are a key constituency and important part of the economy. We must take an active role and be that powerful voice. Now is your chance to be heard. Go to the American Moment section of Change.gov and send in your ideas. Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Do it yourself.

Right now the transition is in full swing. Teams are in place reviewing the various departments and agencies. Obama and his advisors will make decisions on who should head the departments and agencies, how to allocate resources and what policy initiatives to move forward on based upon the reports from those teams.

For hunters, anglers and others who enjoy outdoor recreation, the Department of Interior, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency are the most important cabinet level offices when it comes to policy decisions that affect us.

If you are looking for ideas, go to your favorite hunting or fishing group’s Web site. I bet they have some of their ideas up there. If you like some of them, go ahead and use them as a starting point for your comments.

Here are a few of the things I will be watching. First and foremost, whoever is appointed to head the departments and agencies that deal with natural resources, and land management should have a strong background in those areas coupled with a demonstrated appreciation for outdoor recreation, especially hunting and fishing.

My friend Mike Thompson, a congressman from California, would be the type of person they should consider. He has the support of many of the leading hunting and fishing groups.

Work has already started on a multi-billion dollar stimulus bill to be introduced when Congress returns to work in January. The stimulus bill provides an opportunity for funding for infrastructure projects that will benefit fish and wildlife resources and hunters and anglers, while creating good jobs in the next two years.

The National Fish Habitat Action Plan is an excellent initiative. This voluntary, incentive-based initiative to protect, enhance and restore fish habitat deserves strong support. It should also be well funded so the National Fish Habitat Partnerships like the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture can continue doing critical habitat conservation work.

Conservation programs in the Food Conservation and Energy Act (aka the farm bill), enacted into law in 2008, contains some of the most important tools for conservation in the country. The new administration will be responsible for implementing these important conservation programs. The conservation benefits of these programs should be maximized and fully funded.

When it comes to land conservation, conservation easements, along with the tax incentives that encourage their use are important tools protecting millions of acres of wildlife habitat across the country.

Those incentives are set to expire at the end of 2009. They should be made permanent to facilitate planning by private landowners.

When it comes to habitat, wetlands are the equivalent of lungs. Recent legal rulings by the Supreme Court have made protecting wetlands harder. The new administration should work with Congress to provide the maximum protections for wetlands.

Climate Change is the big kahuna of public policy. Congress started to address it this year and will do so again next year. The federal agencies responsible for natural resources and the environment will have a big job ahead of them. Provisions to provide funding for fish and wildlife adaptation must be included.

The next generation and generations to come deserve an opportunity to learn from the great outdoors. Nature-based outdoor recreation and education need to be part of how we judge success in our schools.

Hunters and anglers have a lot at stake as Congress and the new Administration determine policy in the coming year. I will be watching these and other policy issues and will keep you informed about them from time to time in this column.