By James Connell

A few years ago, I was fly fishing the Upper White River, a designated trout stream on the west side of Michigan’s lower peninsula. I was floating a fly along the head of a deep pool that entered into the outside of a bend. Cast after cast, I continued to come up empty on a hole that I had had continuous success on many days prior. I side stepped the hole and began working around the sharp bend in the river when I realized, that there had been another fisherman targeting the tail waters of same hole just out of my view. He had been holding the hole, and understanding the unwritten rules of ethics, I secured my fly to the hook keeper, and used the inner bank to skirt around him.
I gave him the proverbial nod, and asked, “How’s the bite?”
Without so much as looking up he responded with a grumbled, “Ain’t for shit.”
I sat there baffled that anyone who could be in the exact same place at the same precise moment could be so disgruntled. He stood knee high in water that rushed around his legs with a rod in one hand, his line draped across his fingers on the other, and a creel secured to his waist. His mood did not accurately portray his current situation.
“Well, the action is a little slow today for sure,” I responded hoping to relieve some of his burden. “They’re here, just have to find ’em.”
“Never going to catch anything here,” he muttered. “They don’t know how to manage a fishery.”
“Who is they?” I questioned, regretting the effort of keeping a coherent conversation going.
“The damn state. They take our money to fatten their pockets and don’t give a lick about keeping quality fish in our streams. They spend more time worrying about the damn butterflies and birds then they do about fish.”
His comments were directed toward a local news report that aired the evening before about the special status of the Karner Blue Butterfly and the Kirland’s Warbler, two species that had been listed as endangered. The state of Michigan for decades, under federal government regulations, had been feverishly working on improving habitat and sustainable ecosystems to avoid extirpation, but arguing over the semantics with a guy who felt those efforts were ruining his day on the water, would have been a dead end.
“Are you a member of Trout Unlimited?” I asked. “They do a lot of good work with water restoration and creating healthy habitat for designated trout streams.”
For the first time during our conversation, the man turned, and from underneath his lowered brim, looked directly at me, “Why the hell would I give them more money? I already bought my fishing tag. I cant afford to keep throwing money away.”
I side stepped the irony that he had more than $1,000 of gear draped across his back and moved on down the river without so much as another word. But the conversation stuck in my mind all afternoon, and every day since. Maybe I ambushed a man having a bad day. Its possible he lost his job, his dog died and his wife announced her intentions with the mail man on that very afternoon. It is possible. But since that day on the White River, I had made it a personal mission to ask, every hunter, angler, hiker, trapper, and photographer whom I have stumbled across in our great outdoors, what conservation organization they have joined.
To my surprise, I found one. One single older, or as he politely corrected me, wise man. I met him at the trail head of one of my favorite small game destinations. He shared with me about all the work he had put in for Ducks Unlimited. He glowed as he recounted the many stories of the swamp land restoration projects he had been involved in and told me stories that seemed to brighten his day by just having the opportunity to recount them. We talked for hours in that parking lot, never hitting the field that day, which was okay with me, and judging by his enthusiasm, was okay with him too.
The point is, I found one. In an ever changing America, where we have all the information we could ever need at the touch of a finger, we have come to an era in our country’s history that immediate gratification out weighs the long term benefits. Often we don’t even give the consideration to what the long term benefits are, or might be. Statistics show that only 2% of the American population have an association with a conservation organization While that 2% measurement far exceeds the one person I found in my own personal survey, it shows a digression in the value the American people have on wildlife and wild places.
When Teddy Roosevelt, arguably the greatest president in our country’s history, set aside 230 million acres of public accessible land, he did so, not for his own personal benefit but for as he so eloquently said: “For those in the womb of time.”
Our country holds within its borders the most envious model of conservation the world has ever seen. We have mountains and prairies, big woods and swamp lands, all with diverse ecosystems, that thrive along side our booming population. That is the legacy that was left for us. That is the responsibility that was entrusted to us, to ensure that it remains as wild and as diverse as the day it was set aside. It is the obligation we have, not just to our children and grandchildren, but for all of those in the womb of time.
2% is unacceptable. As hunters and anglers, we are a small subsection of our population, but we carry the burden, or rather the opportunity to stand and fight for the land, wildlife, and streams that we experience more than any other community in the world. The legacy that we are leaving is that of entitlement, problem solving skills derived from Minecraft, and outdoor experiences that are associated concrete paths and sky rise buildings; all of which are expressed through our hapless 2%.
So, as an individual, who cares deeply about the future of conservation, what can you do to have an impact? Three very simple things:
1. Join a conservation organization. In fact I recommend joining two. The first one should be a cause that you care deeply about. It could be access to public lands, the discipline of archery, or even the fight for the second amendment. There are organizations that are even dedicated to trapping, hiking, bird watching and kayaking. Connect with your passion, and find an organization that aligns with those beliefs. The second organization you should join needs to be directly affiliated with a species that you admire. Weather it be whitetail deer, rocky mountain elk, water fowl, or cutthroat trout, there is an organization that dedicates its resources to sustaining a thriving ecosystem for these animals. The average hunter spends $2,500 a year on hunting trips and gear; contributing two small donations to organizations that passionately conserve your interests, isn’t asking too much.
2. Put pressure on others to do the same. I understand that not everyone feels comfortable striking up conversation with other fisherman at the boat launch, or directly asking a TV personality they meet at trade shows, which conservation efforts they have joined, but you can put pressure on family and friends who enjoy our outdoor heritage to part with $35 a year to make an impact for the future of wildlife conservation. While you are at it, I encourage you to take the time to write a letter to your favorite outdoor company and encourage them to join 2% for conservation. It is a simple organization that requires companies to donate 1% of their sales and 1% of their time to conservation. Its that simple. An organization who makes its living on the use of our great outdoors, should be giving back without needing to be asked. But we should ask anyway. To check out more about 2% for conservation visit http://www.fishandwildlife.org/
3. Put boots on the ground. Time is probably every American’s most valuable resource, but staying connected to the organizations you choose doesn’t take much effort. Read the monthly news letters, and stay active with your organization. There is strength in numbers, which you helped accomplish by joining, but there is still a lot of work to do at the ground level. Trees don’t plant themselves, trash doesn’t disappear from the banks of streams, and politicians surely wont call you to find out your opinion. Stay connected, and help when you can.

Become part of the solution. Do this for me. Do this for you. For your children and grandchildren. Hell, do this for the grumpy man on the White River, but most importantly do it for those in the womb of time.