Sportsmen need to speak up

I've never fully understood the unwillingness of sportsmen to voice their opinions. They could, as a vocal group, be a powerful voice in what decisions are made with respect to hunting and fishing.

Instead, their voice is little more than a whisper — hardly intelligible.

Someone once suggested that if hunters and fishermen were told if they didn't call a certain number by noon the next day, they'd go to jail for life. And, come noon, the jails would be packed because most would sit back and wait for someone else to make the call for them.

Now, they have a chance to help decide the future of the very things they enjoy most — hunting and fishing. All they need do is voice their opinions.

Threatened are Utah's roadless areas on U.S. Forest Service land — roughly 4 million acres.

In a nutshell, former President Bill Clinton put into law in 2001 the end of all road building in forest areas designated roadless — roughly 58.5 million acres across the United States. President George W. Bush repealed the law in 2005 and set up a special petition process where individual governors could have a say in whether all, none or a portion of the forest land would be designated roadless.

What does this mean?

Of the 4 million acres currently designated roadless in Utah, 80 percent is listed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as critical habitat for elk. And, of the 4 million acres, 96 percent is listed as critical mule deer habitat. Nearly all of the acreage is considered critical and substantial habitat for moose.

Nearly all of the streams and lakes supporting self-sustaining populations of native Bonneville cutthroat, Colorado cutthroat and Arctic grayling are located in roadless areas.

Which means?

"These areas are very important to hunters and anglers," said Bill Geer, policy initiative manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and former director of the Utah DWR, "and their voice should be considered in the decision process.

"This land has extremely high habitat value for fish and wildlife and provides for some of the very best fishing and hunting in Utah. Someone (Governor Jon Huntsman) shouldn't threaten roadless areas without considering the stakeholders — fishermen and hunters."

Big game animals need areas where they can escape hunters and human harassment, i.e. the building of cities and roads. Roadless areas provided this sanctuary.