THE SHADOW OF DISASTER vs THE COMMUNITY OF ACTION
SEP 1, 2017 — The recent flooding tragedies in Texas have highlighted how quickly and unexpectedly our lives and our lands can experience catastrophic damage.

Our prayers and thoughts go out to the communities and to the wildlife impacted by these deadly floods.

Take a moment with us and say a prayer for those who have lost so much, and if you have the means, please make a donation to the charity of your choice to aid the victims.

It is easy for us to see the massive destruction caused by these storms, not only to the homes and lives of our fellow citizens, but also to the lands, habitats and wildlife of the area.

In our State, we are fortunate to usually have mild climate and are rarely threatened by sudden dramatic weather conditions. We are however faced with something that may be more sinister, the gradual destruction we are facing in our waters.

Many of you will agree that our salmon and steelhead populations are declining overall. It only takes a look back at the abundance that was recorded in the not so distant past and it becomes pretty obvious what we have already lost and the pale situation we are now left with.

This tragedy has taken place relatively slowly, consequently many of our fellow citizens, particularly non-sportsmen, have paid the decline little attention.

There are many factors impacting our salmon to be sure, but it seems the politics and debates over the blame, causes and remedies have all but stalled any real action to save our fish. Salmon numbers have continued to decline and our sport is continually impacted by emergency closures, increased restrictions and reduced take.

One thing that the recovery efforts we’ve witnessed in Texas have shown is that when a community comes together to tackle a problem, a fantastic thing happens. Politics, color, gender and philosophies are set aside and things are taken care of.

Just as a sudden disaster musters the best in us, so must the creeping disaster like the one we are experiencing here, in our own waters. We cannot wait, we cannot hope someone will fix it. We must come together, with a singularity of purpose as a community to put in every effort before we lose everything.

This IS the core of our fight!
To regain our vital role in the fisheries management. To again be the voice of reason and clarity of true conservation and preservation at the negotiation table. Not relying on a “government agency” to represent us, but to represent ourselves. We, as citizen sportsmen have the inherent right and responsibility as a community of single purpose to be part of the solution, not a silent, ignored by-stander outside a locked door!

We want to thank all our supporters, both those that have placed their names boldly on this petition and those that are working hard beside us for being a part of the community who will no longer stand idle and wait for others to do something to save our fish.

Now, more than ever before, we ask you to dig deep. Contact your fellow citizens. Educate them about the situation of our waters, the politics that are preventing our efforts to save our beloved fish and our sport. Reach out to those that cannot see the shadow of disaster that is creeping up to our doorsteps. Ask them to join our fight, to add their voice and to be a part of the solution. They do not need to be sportsmen, they only need to care, and in order to care, they must be informed.

We are the community of action.