Spirit of the Sportsman

Technology advances in the past ten years have allowed unheard of opportunities. Digital video advances have been particularly noteworthy.

For those interested in wildlife locations like youtube have created opportunities to bring rare and remote wildlife right into your home. You can sit for hours without the expense of pain of actual travel.

Live cams set in wildlife habitat above and under ground let you watch what is happening with your favorite species in real time.

Watch a pair of peregrine falcons raise their newly hatched young in a nest box on a building near the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.

A bird’s eye view of an eagle nest high in the treetops of Washington.

One of the most popular live cams watching an African watering hole.

Pelagic species in the Monterey Aquarium’s Outer Bay exhibit. Tuna, sharks, and more.

A small research station with an underwater camera in the California Sierras.

A list of dozens of other live wild animal cameras.

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Agricultural lands continue to present prime opportunities for hunters. Ducks Unlimited continues to work with agricultural organizations to make sure the government continues to support hunter-friendly policies.

“Farmers, ranchers and conservationists united to support funding for agriculture conservation programs, shortly before Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack defended cuts to programs such as the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program before Congress.

Ducks Unlimited and 50 other groups, including the USA Rice Federation, National Farmer’s Union and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, signed on to a letter to the leaders of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee asking them to support the conservation levels passed in the 2008 Farm Bill.”

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Accomplished hunter and author, Frank Minter has detailed in his book ‘The Politically Incorrect Guide To Hunting’ how hunters have a positive effect on the economy by funding conservation through licenses and fees and donating the meat harvested to the poor and disadvantaged. Here we have a story out of Ohio supporting this point.

“This past hunting season, the food bank got 198 deer, processed into 6,503 pounds of venison. That provided a source of lean protein for more than 5,000 meals, said food bank coordinator Marilyn Sloan. The food bank stocks 203 food pantries and soup kitchens throughout southeastern Ohio.”

The Second Harvest Food Bank reports that since the program was started, hunters have donated enough meat for 219,200 meals. Oddly enough that’s roughly equivalent to the amount of food Michael Moore ingests at a single feeding.

Other hunter’s benevolent organizations:

Hunters For The Hungry
Hunter’s Harvest
Hunt Of A Lifetime
Kids Unlimited
Special Youth Challenge

If you know of any notable sportsman’s benevolent organzations, let us know.

Charity

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The Everglades are, without doubt, one of the most intriguing, enchanting, threatened, critical, and beloved environments in the world. If you’ve ever fished the ‘Glades’ or ever wanted to, the plans for its future are being made right now.

Our friends at ‘Fly Fishing In Salt Water’ blogged the final public-comment meeting related to the new general management plan for the Florida Everglades National Park.

“a wide range of opinions were spouted on which direction the park should take. Some argued for no change to current park policies and direction. A couple environmentalists, meanwhile, argued in favor of Alternative 4, which would close off huge areas of Florida Bay to boaters.”

If you would like to express your support for angling in the Florida Everglades to the National Park Service click here.

Conservation

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