To the editor:
The hunting/fishing columnist in our newspaper belongs to a group that promotes all forms of hunting. I believe in the wise use of resources, but some of their methods are extreme: baiting doves, releasing caged birds for shooting games, catch-and-release fishing, bow fishing, fur trapping, dog running and restocking waterways every year.
Pushing wildlife to its limits is not what I would call conservation. Reductions may be necessary for some animals, but it’s not an excuse for everything they do. At best, harvesting wild animals is a supplemental food supply for a relatively small number of families. We need ecological restoration far greater than the recruitment of sportsmen.
Hunting can be more problematic than beneficial. I have seen creeks and woodlots in our township emptied out by over-enthusiastic young hunters and trappers, and years later, these animals have still not returned. Almost every Sunday afternoon I hear target shooters firing off hundreds of rounds of ammunition. At what point does it become a public nuisance?
Wildlife can exist without hunters. Nearly all of our state’s natural areas would (or should) remain for other purposes: public parks, forests, watershed protection areas, reservoirs, land unfit for agriculture, etc. The resurgence of deer, after getting hunted to extirpation, was not a sign of good conservation. Deer can survive almost anywhere.
I would like to see Indiana take more of an interest in providing habitat for the hundreds, if not thousands, of rare or endangered plants and animals. Who wouldn’t like to see more wildlife diversity? The historical accounts of nature are amazing. The reconstruction of lakes, ponds, wetlands and prairies are a credit to a rational society.
Forty percent of Americans participate in wildlife-associated recreation, from touring to backyard bird watching. If you want to contribute, you can manage your property for non-game wildlife, you can buy a hunting or fishing license and not use it, you can donate to an environmental organization, or you can find better ways to generate revenue.
Every day, a net gain of over 200,000 people are added to the planet while dozens of species go extinct. America has 5 percent of the population, yet consumes 25 percent of the world’s resources. Indiana farmers should be concerned with pollinator decline, if nothing else. We may need them someday. Thanks, everybody.
Colby Cochran
Greenfield
