-------------------------------------------

VT Massacre    4/17/07

I am so very tired of the blame game. Why should we expect everyone else to protect us and ours when we teach our off-spring not to respond to attacks on us personally! We grow a breed of passivism and we do not teach how to defend and protect each other. When someone threatens we are taught to cower in the corner and not to take actions to overcome the threat. We allow anyone who has ill feelings to express their hateful thoughts on us while we are supposed to allow those to do so without returning any hateful expressions or physical reprisals. We litigate against any reprisals and cause extreme pacification of our society. Oh for the "Good old days" when those who hurt others were treated the same way several times over. It was common back then that disgraceful deeds were punished several times over by students, teachers, and parents. Not just one spanking but three and maybe even the Cops talked to the perpetrator and spent one night in jail.

When our FBI, Police, or Military take harsh steps to protect us we litigate and express our disdain of those who protect us. Wake up America, become an active and not a re-active society. Those who are entrusted to protect us can only do so with the assistance of every American individual working together in support and harmony. Support the defense of America and its general public by thanking the Military, FBI and your local Police. Teach your children to respond to attacks and to be alert to those who are misfits in our civilization. Let’s teach our children to respond and report. Let’s also teach our children to respect our teachers, by expressing our own personal respect of their authority, we can do this together.

It is extremely sad that anger, hate, or terrorism has taken so many innocent lives but I fear this maybe just the beginning! Is this because we as a society have become a tolerant society and lack the code of protective ethics necessary to endure the sacred life God has lent us? God bless all those involved and those who will endure these hardships for the rest of their lives. The tears I shed for all those innocent lives and families are equal to the tears God must have shed when he gave his only begotten son.

God Bless.

Jim Graham

On the subject of deer hunting and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, I could be wrong but I offer my thoughts for consumption.

 I believe the PGC does know that hunting in general is degrading to an all time low in participation. The traditional hunting sportsmen and the old timers will be the only hunters able to remember how things were. I do believe the PGC does have severe financial problems and thereby, they create more seasons just to enhance their revenue. I do not believe they care one iota about sportsmanship, hunting, or fishing. As long as the money keeps rolling in to support their salaries, they care not about we sportsmen.

I venture a thought that hunting in the future will only be a fee-for-service venture for the sportsmen. I see the future hunting as being a state-owned hunting refuge and fee-for-service that will eliminate most hunters. Fishing will also be strictly controlled for Trout or Bass with the best streams limited to a special fishing stamp.

The future seems bleak to me for sportsmen, as we presently know the sport. What we need is a sportsman in office that understands the concerns of us all. I personally do not see such a Governor in sight who would be interested in serving us sportsmen. I believe the PGC, timber, and insurance companies are behind this downward trend in trivializing the sportsmen. Their directions are forced upon a willing government to increase the cost to hunters and reduce the number of sportsmen making our sport a pay-for-service business.

I hate to be so pessimistic but watching the sport deteriorate to the present level makes me shudder and think, “Why should I care”?

Keep up the good fight and lets all hope my pessimism is misdirected.

Jim Graham

------------------------

 August 13, 2005

Waterfront Park    

I have fished in the Schuylkill River with homemade boats and in swimwear as a youngster in the 1940 and 1950’s. Recently, I decided to break out the fishing gear and visit the Waterfront Park at the Heritage Trail building for some relaxing fresh air.

Since this was my first visit to the waterfront Park, I was unaware of what to expect. As I entered the park via car at the Heritage Trail building, I was impressed with what I found. Roomy parking facilities, clean unobstructed picnic area, grass properly maintained, a walk/bicycle path winding through the trees and a gentle river lined with Buttonwood, Locus, and Oak trees. Included in the park is an Oak tree that I guess is 150 years old. It has a trunk diameter of more than 3 feet, and is healthy and doing great.

The park has well-opened areas for family picnics and allows fishing without obstructions.

I must give kudos to the forward thinking Pottstown board members for providing a wonderful experience and a place to relax. I see families, bikers, walkers, fishermen, and various style boaters involved with activities in the park and on the water.

On the 4^th of July there were individuals dressing the park in Flowers and enjoying the experience. Very nice to see!

I now fish there most every day and must say the experience is fulfilling. I believe since June I missed only rainy days of fishing. The fishing is good as almost every day I catch a Largemouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, Rock Bass or Sun Fish.

I see lots of Carp Fish breaking water and swimming close enough to see them from the bank. I have not caught a Bass that equals my 1953 Bass of 21-1/2 inches caught near the Hanover Street Bridge, as I am fishing from the bank these days, for my own convenience, but I expect to. The fish I catch range from 10 to 14 inches for Bass and four to eight inches for Sun Fish.

I just wanted to say thank you Pottstown for creating an enjoyable place to relax and a place for me to enjoy the sport I grew up with.

Jim Graham

Sunday Hunting should not be allowed

How can expressing the desire of the majority of citizens be a one sided or negative point of view? Beside I am an avid hunter. Certainly, sportsmen do not wish to eliminate the Sunday outdoor activities such as Hiking, Boating, Fishing, etc,  just for another day for Hunters. I assume the citizens know that allowing Sunday Hunting will eliminate their Sunday activities from September to February of the following year. Is that what you wish? Your Legislator will assist you, contact them.

Imagine being outdoors and doing any of the aforementioned hobbies. Would you be comfortable knowing a Hunter has the capability to do damage to you or your family just because you decided to enjoy the one day, Sunday, for your outdoor event? “Projectiles stop when something interferes with it’s flight path”, right? Newton’s Law. Beside, my father always said, “When a projectile leaves your control, you may know where you wish it to go but you never know where it will go” how true! My family does certainly not wish to be hoping and praying, even though it is Sunday, that we will not stop a projectile while boating, fishing, hiking or even just a family picnic.

We citizens need our free time to enjoy the outdoors also. So I say, Sportsmen, allow us our Sunday to enjoy. Do not allow Sunday Hunting.

Jim Graham

-------------------------------------

June 17, 2005

-------------------------------------------------------------

The decline of deer hunting responses;

The following are responses to the article, shown below, that I sent to each of the following organizations. I have not included my return response to each so that your response, should you decide to send one, is not influenced by mine.

I find it interesting that none of the organizations admits there are deer management problem. Some were down right rude and show a lack of respect for big game and hunters and some were courteous.

Jim Graham  3/31/05

----------------------------------------

Game Commission PGCNEWS@state.pa.us

The Game Commission does support hunting, and trapping for that matter.  Those two tools are are best and only hope for managing abundant wildlife species.  Also, we are not trying to decimate the deer herd, we are trying to get it in balance with the habitat so that the habitat has a chance to recover so that it can support more wildlife.  If we allow the deer to decimate the habitat, there won't be anything for them to eat or for any other wildlife to eat.  So, if you care about hunting and the environment, I would urge you to re-examine the Game Commission's deer management program and what it is attempting to accomplish.

----------------------------------------------

Presedent of Allegheny Audubon Society mcnair@pitt.edu

Sending your message to me about deer hunting was the equivalent of calling a number at random from the phone book and complaining loudly to the person on the other end about your paper not being delivered.  You don't know me or my attitudes toward deer hunting.  I have never made a public statement about deer hunting.  I learned about the Pennsylvania deer management program by carefully reading the Executive Summary of their Case Study.  I have no idea where you got your information (or, for that matter, my email address) but it bears no resemblance to the information supplied in the scientific report.  The study does not advocate eliminating hunting but rather suggests ways to responsibly improve the health of Pennsylvania's forests so they can begin to re-establish themselves and to support deer and other wildlife populations into the future for the use of all of us.  I happen to be a professional biologist and dragonfly researcher and don't personally give a rat's patoot one way or the other about your ease of access to
game animals.  However, I am concerned that all Pennsylvania citizens have access to that portion of nature that gives each of us the most satisfaction and provides us the opportunities for awe, wonder and delight that have enriched my life and those of my students for the last 30 years.  If you wish to actually find out what the ecosystem
management program for Pennsylvania's forests and deer contains, it's available (all 420 pages of it) at http:\\pa.audubon.org.  I'd recommend that you read it before you send off your next round of ill-informed, ill-conceived and probably counterproductive messages to people and organizations with whom you are unacquainted.

Dennis M. McNair, Ph.D.

-----------------------------------

Nature Conservancy’s comment@tnc.org

Thank you for your email.  As you may know, The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. In general, the Conservancy does not take a formal position either for or against hunting or fishing.

Because our primary focus has always been to protect the entire spectrum of native biological diversity, we do not encourage hunting or fishing on the majority of conservation sites that we own or manage. At the same time, as long as these activities are carried out within the guidelines of applicable state and federal laws, we would not oppose those who wish to take part in them.

Patricia Crane

-----------------------------------

 Sierra Club pennsylvania.chapter@sierraclub.org

    The Sierra Club supports hunting, as a wildlife management tool.  When a species gets out of balance within its ecosystem, we believe that regulated hunting provides a way to bring that population back into balance.  While we are not a "hunting organization", per se, many of our members do hunt.

Jeff Schmidt

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The decline of deer hunting

I notice several articles stating the decline in Hunters again this year. This is a very sorry predicament we find ourselves embroiled in. I can understand the hunters loosing interest in hunting. The fun has been taken out of the sport by the lack of game! We hunters today can put on our sporting gear, ready our firearm, ready the dog if allowed, and then walk many miles in the cold outdoors. Our game sacks remain empty or the drag is only a memory, as we conclude the long days hunt. We ask ourselves, do I really want to do this again tomorrow? Is my investment in equipment worthy of just a wall decoration?

Providing the trend continues, there will soon be no hunters to control the game population. Our landscape will be covered with rotting kills by predators and automobiles, deer half eaten, feathers and fur strewn about the forest, dead game on the roadways going to waist, is this what a Greener PA is? Do we want predators and wild game to decimate house pets and crops? When this comes to fruition there will be a cry to we hunters by the PGC, Audubon, Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy trying to entice hunting again to reduce the game, but the cry will have landed on deaf ears. The interest and experience in game hunting will have been lost. Only the few inexperienced will be available creating havoc in firearms safety and mortally wounding game. Such a pity.

 The PGC, Audubon, Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy will have won their battle to have hunting removed as a sport. They will have removed a once vital conservation tool and a sport. Our ancestors viewed hunting as a necessary sporting event for their survival. The PGC, Audubon, Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy will have their trees and forest, although decimated by game and predators, but we hunters will be to busy to re-enlist for conservation.

There are few precious years remaining to turn around the present trend of game decimation and the loss of hunters. The PGC, Audubon, Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy must change their policy of deer decimation today! They must support game hunting and also remain protective of a clean environment before it is too late. Both are compatible and necessary to a healthy environment. Sportsmen are environment friendly, now we need the environmentalist to be hunter friendly and state so publicly.

Jim Graham   3/27/05

---------------------------------------------------------------

Environment Unfriendly Sportsmen?

For some reason I am unable to grasp the Environmentalist belief, that we Sportsmen are against Clean Forest, Acid rain, Mercury clean up, clean air and in general do not care about the environment. For the life of me I cannot understand how we Sportsmen were labeled in this manner. I know we are tunnel versioned when our sports are tampered with, but against the environment, give me a break!

Hunters and fishers contribute up to $1.7 billion each year for conservation. For over 60 years, they have paid this self-imposed tax totaling more than $7.6 billion for protection of our natural environment and fish and wildlife. Since 1934, when the first duck stamp was purchased, more than $647 million has gone to conserving over 5 million acres of wildlife habitat, greater in size than the State of Massachusetts, providing breeding and wintering grounds for waterfowl and countless other species, most of them non-game.

The environmentalist wants the forests to grow green and lush just as we sportsmen do. They want the Oak trees to have Acorns as we wish; here are some facts about acorn growth you may not know. Oak trees can start producing acorns when they are 20 years old, but sometimes can go all the way to 50 years for the first production. The oak trees produce acorns once a year during the fall. Acorn production varies year to year and normally alternates. Not even the healthiest and largest oak can accumulate enough food and energy to produce strong crops two years in succession. Real strong acorn productions might happen every four to ten years. In addition, a late spring frost can blight the flowers, which prevents acorn development. Droughts and insect ravages can decimate crops.

The environmentalist want to reduce the Mercury level in our food chain and so do we sportsmen. However the USA produces only 1% of the 50% produced by global industry and the other 50% comes from nature. It seems there is not much we sportsmen can do but stand up and shout, “We too are against high mercury levels”, and we should do this. This will not change the mercury levels but will give the perception we also care. Another fact; most mercury comes from natural environmental production such as Volcanoes and under sea volcanic eruptions. Undersea eruptions are the primary reason fish are contaminated with mercury.

The environmentalist want to reduce Acid rain and so do we sportsmen. Scientists discovered, and have confirmed, that sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the primary causes of acid rain. In the US, About 2/3 of all SO2 and 1/4 of all NOx comes from electric power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels like coal. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. Sunlight increases the rate of most of these reactions. The result is a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Over the years, scientists, foresters, and others have watched some forests grow more slowly without knowing why. The trees in these forests do not grow as quickly at a healthy pace. Leaves and needles turn brown and fall off when they should be green and healthy. In extreme cases, individual trees or entire areas of the forest simply die off without an obvious reason.

The environmentalist want to regenerate the forest and so do we sportsmen, but here we have a disagreement with the environmentalist. We would not mind small clear cuts or forest thinning to revitalize the forest. The environmentalists are against any tree removal. I don’t understand this as the forest canopy is to thick now and it prevents new tree growth, they should welcome this. Could it be that they do not want to loose an arguing point for Acid rain destruction? Definitely!

So what does this mean to we sportsmen? Well it means the perception exist in the general public that we sportsmen do not care about these growing concerns in our environment. We sportsmen need to remind those we talk to, including our government officials, and also write to them that we also care about the environment. We care just as much as anyone, as we also live in the same environment. We want our family and our children to grow up in a healthy clean environment. We must change the public perception, as they know very little about we sportsmen other than the bad press we get. We must let all know we support a clean environment.

So lets espouse the positive and tell all that we Sportsmen are an environment friendly group and we do want legislation to clean up the environment along with proper game management. Anytime a columnist writes and trashes USP or Sportsmen in general we must remind them of the above facts both verbally and in writing. Hug a Tree-Hugger and we can change the perception they have of we Sportsmen.

Jim Graham    3/24/05