African American

In the last few months, editorials against the "Sage Brush Rebellion" have been published by sources not seen sympathetically by most DUers. These are Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Petersen's Hunting, and the staid Gray's Sporting Journal. They have correctly analyzed the issue: the destruction of the federal public lands tradition, with these lands deeded back to hopelessly overwhelmed state fish & game departments, all with the intent of selling these park lands, forests and wildlife refuges to mining, logging, and developer interests. This would cripple the whole idea of public hands, not just for hunters, fishers and birders, but for all citizens.

The question for DUers is stark: Do we revitalize an old and effective alliance between hunters & fishers on the one hand, and conservationists on the other? Such an effort will require that many urban-driven values (anti-hunting, pro "animal rights," opposition to public access to "preserves," hostility to all grazing interests using public land, hostility in general to rural lifestyles) NOT be the what the Party leads with in formulating strong public lands policy.

Gifford Pinchot detested hunting, and complained to hunter Teddy Roosevelt about it -- as they camped out in forests they preserved.