What Are You Doing for the Environment?

How you can help the environment!© 2010, 2011 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

If you were able to do one thing to help our environment and/or it's wildlife what would that one thing be?

Rick Kratzke

Whitetail Woods

The environment...

I am certain you see the abuse we heap on it every day. From trash tossed out onto the roads, to oil spills that dwarf comprehension. Ever wonder how we manage to survive?

Rick Kratzke of Whitetail Woods asked something that we all should be contemplating consciously on a regular basis. He asked, "If you were able to do one thing to help our environment and/or it's wildlife what would that one thing be?"

What a great, though provoking question. I gave it great thought, and decided I wanted it to be something simple, doable, repeatable, practical, and shareable.

When I walk to my local Starbucks, I traverse Uelin Park and the beautiful large freshwater lake that we boat and fish in. The amount of trash strewn around isn't great, but it is enough to distract one from an otherwise idyllic view.

It struck me then, I will stop and pick up trash everyday at every opportunity!

I was already doing it. But I wasn't systematic or consistent. I would do it if it was convenient and it didn't take me too far out of my way.

Now I have made the decision that if I see it and I can get to it, I will pick it up. A plastic shopping bag doesn't take up any room in my pocket, and recycling it as a trash bag is a plus. Every piece of trash I pick up, is one less thing that may end up in the water or woods, endangering both plants and animals.

There is something else I do regularly.

I hate Brazillian Pepper trees with a passion! Every time I see a seedling I yank it out. If it's a sapling, I try to pull it out. I have gone as far as to return to my garage and grab a machete and even the hatchet, and hacked them to pieces. Invasive plant species are as bad as any other invasive species, and those Pepper trees are my pet peeve!  They're not even edible like pigs are.

A mornings haul...

There are two pieces of PVC in that pile, those ended up in my shop, stored in a milk crate with other pieces of PVC. You never know when you might need some.

So my friends, what are you doing to help the environment?

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member:Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert Rasch was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

Safeguarding the Future of Hunting and Fishing

© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

I saw some statistics recently, and hunter participation is at its lowest in thirty years. I became interested in waterfowling through my friend Scott Croner at Nebraska Hunting Company. Doing my research, I came to find out that waterfowlers in particular have lost almost 30% participation. I asked myself what could be the problem? In general, why does it appear that there are less and less hunters? Googleing for answers, I found myself reading the Fishing and Hunting Recruitment  and Retention Addendum over the course of several nights, trying to gain some insight as to why this was happening.

As much as the AR activists would like to take credit for the downturn in numbers, it's not the animal rights people and their misinformation and propaganda, it all boils down to...

Us.

And it is time we cut the crap and did something.

Access seems to be the biggest problem facing any sportsman today. Over crowded public hunting areas, and pay to hunt acreage have made hunting either inconvenient, or cost prohibitive. Especially near the metroplolitan areas of the United States, the East and West coasts, getting to good public hunting land can be exasperating if not downright next to impossible.

Remember over 75% of the US population is concentrated in urban areas. And the two areas with the largest populations, the New England area and the Pacific regions, have the lowest number of persons entering the field, at less than 4%. Much of this is due to a low initiation rate. City folk don't hunt that much, therefore their kids, friends, or neighbors don't either. Those that do, tend to be reticent about it due to fears of the neighbors reactions or opinions.


But there are simple positive steps that each and every one of us could take to increase recruitment, and counter negative sterotypes and fears. Here are some examples.

What if each and every one of us recruited a new hunter every season? While  it might not double active participants in the field, it would more than double the number of people that would see through the AR charade, and come to see hunters and outdoorsmen as conservators of the resources.

Take a neighbor shooting. Invite a neighbor to join you at the range. Bring a twenty-two, and start him or her off right. Concentrate on their shooting, and forget about yours. Whet their appetite and see where it leads.

Take up small game hunting.  Small game is more accessible than even deer hunting, and far less expensive. Unless you're all up into that LL Beam look... Squirrel is a perenial favorite, and if you take the time to show them how to prepare a fricasse, you will have made a small game hunting convert.

Make an effort to help someone new get to and pass your state Hunter Safety Course. Sit through the classes with your acolyte, and share your knowledge.

If you have a lease, dedicate a weekend to taking a new or potential hunter with you. Talk to all your fellow lease holders, and organize a hunt, just for a neophyte hunter.  If you are one of the fortunate few to have a good lease, by golly, let folks come in and harvest some does. Take the time to explain to the need for keeping a good balance between bucks and does, and if they are lucky enough to connect, teach them all you know about game meat preparation. Make a big deal out of it because it is a big deal!

Spend a couple of bucks, and put out 20 fliers from a the National Shooting Sports Foundation NSSF, or the National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) (Click for PDF Hunter and Angler Fact Sheet.) Share them with friends, colleagues, and others when you deem it appropriate. Remember, the only way to disarm the animal rights zealots and the anti-gun fanatics, is with good factual information.

I'm sure there are other great ideas that you can come up with so feel free to share them with us!


Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

What Are You Doing to Help the Environment?

© 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

If you were able to do one thing to help our environment and/or it's wildlife what would that one thing be?

Rick Kratzke

Whitetail Woods

The environment...

What abuse we heap on it every day. Ever wonder how we manage to survive?

Rick Kratzke of Whitetail Woods asked something that we all should be contemplating consciously on a regular basis. He asked, "If you were able to do one thing to help our environment and/or it's wildlife what would that one thing be?"

What a great question. I wanted it to be something simple, doable, repeatable, practical, and shareable.

As I walk to my local Starbucks, I traverse Uelin Park and the beautiful large freshwater lake that we boat and fish in. The amount of trash strewn around isn't great, but it is enough to distract one from an otherwise idyllic view.

It struck me then, I will stop and pick up trash everyday at every opportunity!

I was already doing it. But I wasn't systematic or consistent. I would do it if it was convenient and it didn't take me too far out of my way.

Now I have made the decision that if I see it and I can get to it, I will pick it up. A plastic shopping bag doesn't take up any room in my pocket, and recycling it as a trash bag is a plus. Every piece of trash I pick up, is one less thing that may end up in the water or woods, endangering both plants and animals.

There is something else I do regularly.

I hate Brazillian Pepper trees with a passion! Every time I see a seedling I yank it out. If it's a sapling, I try to pull it out. I have gone as far as to return to my garage and grab a machete and even the hatchet, and hacked them to pieces. Invasive plant species are as bad as any other invasive, and those Pepper trees are my pet peeve!

Today's haul...

There are two pieces of PVC in that pile, those ended up in my shop, stored in a milk crate with other pieces of PVC. You never know when you might need some.

So what are you doing to help the environment?

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member:Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert Rasch was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

They'll Never Learn, If You Don't Teach Them

05/18/07 Friday
Weather: Morning: Scattered clouds and warm. Afternoon: Partly cloudy and very warm. Evening: Clearing
0600 hrs Temp: 67.0F Humidity: --% Barometric Pressure: --.--
1432 hrs Temp: 93.4F Humidity: 38% Barometric Pressure: 29.91
1152 hrs Temp: 70.9F Humidity: 80% Barometric Pressure: 30.00

Really tired today.
So I took a nap. First voluntary one in 40 years. Still didn’t make me feel much better though.

Anyway, we went out with our good friends tonight. We headed out to the Italian Kitchen in Riverview, and once again the food and service was spectacular. (Ask for Larry, he is a very attentive and knowledgeable waiter.) If you are ever passing by Riverview Florida make sure you stop by. The canolies are fantastic; reminds me of the ones in Little Italy back in NYC.

The conversation revolved around the state of education in the United States. What passes for education, quite frankly, is pathetic. The classics are nonexistent, basic skills are poorly taught, citizenship and American history are virtually ignored. The complete solution to this travesty escaped us. There is a definate need to raise salaries and hire to better standards. Accountability needs to be ingrained in the system. Parents too, need to be held to higher standards and held accountable.

In our home the classics have been read, American history is a subject of conversation almost daily, and both my boys can read well above their grade level. Make of that what you will.

No planting today, not enough time. Fortunately I have tomorrow off and I’ll be able to get caught up. But I did find the time to check the hives again and found them as busy as yesterday. The pollen coming in is a light yellow color.

There’s a cold front heading this way, and they are saying that there may be a frost. Unbelievable at this late date.

Regards,
Albert A Rasch