Column: Show some respect, gain some access

Marcus Schneck

Those guys who pep per signs with shot gun blasts, trail their litter behind them like obscene bread crumbs and drive their off-road vehicles wherever they darn well please are shooting all the rest of us in our collective foot.

All considerate, law-abiding hunters and shooters know the damage those yahoos are doing to our sports.

However, too few of us do anything about it, even when we see it happening.

Stirring us to action, and maybe getting a few of our worst offenders to reconsider their actions, is the focus of a new effort by Tread Lightly and several national hunting and shooting organizations.

Tread Lightly is a nonprofit organization promoting responsible outdoor recreation through ethics education and stewardship.

A series of six print public service announcements encouraging responsible behavior on public lands is the first thrust in a larger campaign called Respected Access is Open Access.

"Being respectful of public lands is the goal of the campaign," said Lori McCullough, executive director of Tread Lightly.

"Across America, access and opportunities are dwindling at a rate so serious it demands our immediate attention and action. Damage caused by a minority of recreationists who are either uninformed or uncaring of the consequences of their actions is contributing to the loss of access for everyone. Tread Lightly created the Respected Access campaign at the request of the Federal Lands Hunting and Shooting Sports Roundtable."

"A challenge to all hunting, shooting and wildlife conservation organizations is maintaining and growing America's hunting heritage," said Susan Recce, chair of the Roundtable.

"We recognize a critical component of this challenge is assuring that hunters and shooters have convenient access to public and private lands to pursue their passion. The Respected Access is Open Access campaign addresses a huge threat to hunting and shooting access on public lands."

The campaign is designed to reduce litter, property and natural resource damage, unsafe shooting practices and visitor conflicts as a means of helping to maintain, even enhance, access to public lands.

Eventually the campaign, which is being funded through grants from Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A., the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Safari Club International, Boone & Crockett Club, National Wild Turkey Federation, US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, will include public service announcements, social networking Web site resources, an online awareness course, trail kiosks and outreach at key events.

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Source: http://www.pennlive.com/columns/patriotnews/schneck/index.ssf?/base/columnists/1253311815235810.xml&coll=1

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