My Open Letter to President-elect Obama on Interior Secretary
Dear President-elect Obama,
There has been much ado about your interview with Field and Stream Magazine regarding conservation, gun rights and sportsmen. In this article, you state, "And so my suspicion is whoever heads up the Department of Interior is probably going to be a sportsman or sportswoman."
Sportsmen across the country have noticed that their favorite hunting places and watersheds on public lands have been turned into industrial zones for oil, gas, mining and energy transmission lines at the expense of habitat and wildlife. Sportsmen are right, and they are raising their voices in protest.
Hunting and fishing are treasured traditions passed on from parent to child. I was fortunate to have a father who taught me how to fish on a lake in a National Forest. As a child growing up in Chicago, I yearned for our trips to the lake where we would fish, swim, watch wildlife and just wander in the woods. I don't think that fishing as a kid makes me a sportswoman, but it also doesn't diminish my enthusiasm and concern for protecting our waters, public lands and wildlife. My experience in those woods taught me to cherish our nation's wildlife and wild places. Those experiences are a core part of who I am today.
I am grateful for leaders like President Theodore Roosevelt and his conservation ethic. I am grateful that sportsmen banded together to protect our nation's wildlife. But, there are new interests to be considered beyond sportsmen. It may surprise you to learn that wildlife watchers are now outnumbering and outspending sportsmen. In fact, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's publication Wildlife Watching in the U.S.: The Economic Impacts on National and State Economies in 2006, Addendum to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 71 million people participated in wildlife watching in 2006, generated over 1 million jobs and spent $45 billion in wildlife equipment and trips. Those are some pretty significant economic numbers. In comparison, in 2006, 30 million people fished and 12.5 million people hunted for recreation, generating a combined $11.5 billion in spending.
Wildlife watchers are a growing constituency that deserve an opportunity to weigh-in on the selection of Secretary of the Interior. While I don't consider myself a sportswoman, I am a wildlife watcher and I volunteer my time to lead wildlife watching trips. It is a joy for me to share my love of wildlife with others, so they may find that special joy watching a beaver build his dam, or an Osprey deliver a fish to her young. Wildlife watchers are a significant force and we deserve a place at the table in this important decision. I do not bring this to your attention to diminish the impact of my sportsmen friends. In fact, I think we are complimentary constituencies as we have very similar interests at heart. It is my hope that you will respectfully consider the views of all of the constituencies interested in our country's natural resources. As a proud member of the National Audubon Society as well as state and local Audubon groups, I hope that you will nominate Rep. Raul Grijalva for Secretary of the Interior. As tens of thousands of bird watchers prepare to take to the forests, fields and wetlands for the 109th Christmas Bird Count: Citizen Science in Action, I hope that you will remember that we too have a long history of protecting wildlife and family traditions of watching wildlife.
We need a Secretary that will represent wildlife watchers, hunters, fishers and sovereign nations. We need a Secretary that has experience with returning balance to multiple-use lands, and protecting special places. We need a Secretary who will protect endangered species, wilderness and ancient cultural sites. We need a Secretary who will protect the watersheds that provide drinking water to arid Western and Southwestern states. We need a Secretary that understands that we are on verge if irreversible change from global warming. We need a Secretary that loves National Parks and historic buildings. We need a Secretary that understands sportsmen and sportswomen, but we also need a Secretary that will represent wildlife watchers. We need a Secretary who has demonstrated leadership in all of these areas. Rep. Raul Grijalva proven leadership as House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee Chairman on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, make him a perfect fit.
You can learn more about Grijalva at my earlier post Yes to Grijalva - Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick.