A group of hunters and anglers called on the next president to tackle global climate change, saying the problem is the single biggest threat to America's dwindling fish and wildlife populations.
Speaking at a reception at a Denver hotel, members and supporters of the National Wildlife Federation said the nation needs an energy policy that emphasizes renewable, clean energy and that turns away from coal and petroleum products.
And remember this from a post I just put up a couble of minutes ago:
Conservation groups are worried.
"There is no question CRP is in jeopardy of heading down the Soil Bank path if we don't address the program's economic viability given the landscape of today's agricultural market," said Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever's vice president of government affairs.
The Soil Bank Conservation Reserve Program largely had been credited with creating the first era where wildlife flourished, Nomsen said. The program ended in 1962 and as contracts expired, millions of acres of critical wildlife habitat were plowed. Wildlife populations plummeted.
Environmental and conservation groups say the same thing will happen if farmers opt out early or simply let their CRP contracts end.
"Rules, regulations, appropriations and promotion of conservation programs are all critical to the magic of turning law into habitat on the land," Nomsen said.
In the 2008 farm bill, Congress decreased the number of acres allowed in the CRP program from 39.2 million acres to 32 million acres.
And farmers continue to take land out of the program, enticed by new global markets and federal mandates to turn more corn into ethanol.
Now they can’t have it both ways. I wonder what Tony Dean has to say about that?
UPDATE: I was right about Tony Dean being there. If you read further down the link at the top you will find this:
"Contrary to what may be the popular opinion, a growing number of sportsmen and sportswomen realize we need a real energy policy and a bold new energy policy," said wildlife columnist and TV host Tony Dean of Pierre, who attended the reception.
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