Not my future… and really, not me making the plans.
Just came home from a pretty cool event, put on by the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) and Wooden Valley Winery. The shindig had several of my favorite things… great food cooked up by Hank Shaw, excellent wines from the host winery, and the company of several people who are taking an active role in preserving the future of our sport.
I’m no food writer, so I’m not even gonna begin to try to do a full-blown report on the food. I can only say it was excellent (as if that would be a surprise, coming from Hank). Everything was based on wild game, primarily waterfowl. From the snow goose prosciutto to the sausage in the cassoulet and the barbecued duck legs, the gifts of the marsh and field were well represented. By the way, speaking of the cassoulet, perhaps the 95 degree heat didn’t really present the right setting for this hearty dish, but man… I can only imagine a nice bowl of this served up by a roaring fire on a frigid, rainy evening. Damn, it was good!
But food and wine were only part of the reason for our gathering. There’s not a much better way to promote hunting than to celebrate the rewards of the hunt, and promotion of our sport is a big part of CWA’s mission. This evening’s event was designed to share that message with some members of the press and media, as a kick-off to the coming waterfowl season. Mission accomplished…
I don’t write much about CWA or about duck hunting here… in large part because I have kind of let waterfowl hunting fall by the ways (the hog mania kinda overruled my duck fever). But I was reminded this evening that the mission of an organization like CWA goes beyond duck hunting. It’s about planning for the future.
For example, over the next few weekends, CWA is putting on a series of “camps” for kids and for women to introduce them to the outdoors, teach basic shooting and outdoors skills, and offer the hunter safety training. In the case of the women’s camp, the event culminates in a pheasant hunt, where the new huntresses can put their new skills to work. A bonus is that there are guns there for the ladies to use, so they don’t have to buy their own right away. It gives them a chance to decide if they enjoy the sport before they make the investment in equipment.
None of this is about recruiting duck hunters. It’s about recruiting HUNTERS. Some of the participants may go on to try waterfowling, but they might also move on to small game, upland, or big game. Some will likely become avid hunters, while others may simply dally a bit. Some will want to learn more, and may become active in CWA, or other organizations to perform conservation work or to become ambassadors of the sport in their own rights.
And some… well they may not ever hunt again, but at least they’ve been exposed to the sport. They’ve learned that it’s more than the stereotypes, myths, and misinformation to which most non-hunters are subjected. That education, in itself, can be invaluable in the protection of our sport.
Before dinner, CWA President, Dr. Bob McLandress gave a brief talk about where CWA is heading, and what he sees as the challenges and mission of the organization. One of the things that really stood out for me was his point that we really need to get people out there, and teach them that it’s OK to TOUCH nature. The wild isn’t just there for us to look at… to appreciate from a distance. To know it, to recognize it’s value, we need to take an active part in nature.
I think that’s a valid and valuable point. Way too many people are exposed to wildness “on display”, but are too often discouraged from putting their hands on anything. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.”
Nature, for these people, is largely experienced through television screens. Many of those who actually get out of the house see nature through the car windows as they drive through a national park. Stay at the lodge, shop at the gift shop, and then drive back out of the park. Maybe they’ll stop at an overlook.
I’m sorry, but you just can’t put an appropriate value on nature like that. It’s not a museum, it’s the real world! Living and dying are parts of that world, and we should be too (we are, actually, even if we are unable or unwilling to recognize our role). Not that everyone has to hunt to appreciate true nature. I won’t knock the experience of the backpacker, the backcountry camper, the photographer or birdwatcher. But they’re still observers… spectators.
Life is a participatory sport, and hunters are the ultimate participants. Through our participation we “get it”, and once we get it, we want to keep it. That’s why I think hunters, and hunting organizations, are so deeply involved in conservation efforts. We see the value, not only of our specific prey, but of the whole system. Everything, including us, has a role to play.
CWA’s recruitment and educational outreach programs are designed to help people “get it”. It’s not just about adding membership, or generating dollars (although these are important to any organization’s survival). It’s about helping people see that we have a place IN nature, not outside looking in. And the more of them that recognize that, the better the future of hunting begins to look.
