The 2011 outdoors agenda
Five matters to keep in mind in the coming new year:
1. Marcellus Shale mining. The hydraulic fracturing (fracking) process used to extract the shale should have the attention of every party in the state, no matter which side of the issue one is on. Taxation and profit-taking are of clear concern, but so are oversight (and funding for it) and simple worry about what fracking could do to waterways and the environment .
2. Public access. Anglers, hikers, snowmobilers, hunters — anyone with a stake in the outdoors has a stake in creating a positive relationship with landowners and responsibly using land, whether public or private.
3. Deer management. The 2011-12 deer hunting seasons in Pennsylvania will be the 10th since antler restrictions were imposed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission as part of a plan to improve the health of the state’s deer herd and limit the herd’s effect on plants and trees. Is it working?
4. S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie . This will be the 30th anniversary year for S.O.N.S., which has evolved to become a fierce advocate for clean water, public access, the Lake Erie fishery and youth fishing opportunities, among the club’s other priorities. As much as the group does, it probably isn’t celebrated enough. This anniversary year is as good a reason as any to thank a member for his or her service, or to join their ranks with a $5 membership.
5. State parks . Pymatuning and Oil Creek were among the state parks that saw service cuts and/or facility closures in 2010. Public lands belong to Pennsylvania’s residents; Section 27 of the commonwealth’s constitution provides that the government holds them in trust. The cuts were understood, the economy being what it is, and were suffered silently. The question is, what level of management (or lack thereof) will not be acceptable to residents if funding continues to be cut?
What’s on your mind for 2011?
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