Welcome to the latest installment of the Wednesday Wake-Up Call, a roundup of the most pressing conservation issues important to anglers. Working with our friends at Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, The Everglades Foundation, Captains for Clean Water, Bullsugar.org, and Conservation Hawks (among others), we’ll make sure you’ve got the information you need to understand the issues and form solid opinions.
If you know of an important issue–whether it’s national or local–that anglers should be paying attention to, comment below, and we’ll check it out!
1. Hunters and Anglers Celebrate Reintroduction of the MAPLand Act
Outdoorsfolk who enjoy finding their own opportunities on public lands are often frustrated by how difficult it can be to find accurate, up-to-date maps and information. But help may be on the way.
This week, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators–led by Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Angus King (I-Maine), and joined by Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine)The MAPLand Act, led by U.S. Sens Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Angus King (I-Maine), is also cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine)–reintroduced the MAPLand Act of 2020, which was first introduced a year ago.
The act will standardize the digitization and dissemination of information regarding recreational access and allowable activities on millions of acres of federal public lands throughout the United States. Doing so will make millions of Americans, including hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists, increasingly aware of opportunities to access and use their public lands.
Click here to read more on the TRCP website
2. Elwha River Continues to Recover After Dam Removal
Image: John McMillan/Trout Unlimited
Writing on TU.org, Joh McMillan describes the remarkable return of anadromous fishes to Washington’s Elwha River, after two dams were removed in the last decade:
Of course, the story of the recovery of the Elwha post-dam removal is larger than just the dramatic re-emergence of summer steelhead. It is about the river, and the mammals, birds, fish and other species that call it home. It’s also about the many years of conservation investment in this watershed, now paying off.
But given that we are all about wild sea-run O. mykiss, today we offer an update on Elwha River summer steelhead. Let’s take a quick look at what we have learned so far.
Click here to read the full story on the TU website
3. Primer on Striped Bass Management
The laws and policies governing saltwater fish stocks can be difficult for recreational anglers to understand. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is made up of representatives of 20 states and manages 26 different species, so things get Byzantine pretty quickly. The folks at Backcountry Hunters & Anglers have put together a primer to help us regular folks grasp the important issues:
The ASMFC is seeking public input on nine separate issues, which can be grouped into two general categories, including “What do we want the striped bass stock to look like?” and “How do we get it there?” Of the two, the first is, by far, the most important.
Click here for the full story on the BHA website
Credit: Source link
