Thursday, April 28, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

IN THE OUTDOORS: Posewitz full of rich knowledge

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I'm not easily impressed. In fact, there are some people who -- despite their celebrity status -- I wouldn't walk across the street to hear even for free.

That said, there are some people who have impressed me enough that not only would I willingly listen to them, I would invite you to join me.

One of those is Jim Posewitz, noted outdoor author, historian, founder of Orion, The Hunter's Institute and the keynote speaker at the opening session of the 2005 International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) annual conference being held this week at the Silverton.

The theme of the conference is "Improving the Image of Hunters and Hunting -- Marketing Our Sport."

"Hunting is a unique experience," Posewitz said. "Perhaps our challenge will be to address hunting in the context of preventing the `Extinction of Experience' in our ever-changing culture. `Extinction of Experience' may be the unspoken threat or peril that dwells on the dark side of what is implied in this year's theme."

He attributed the phrase "Extinction of Experience" to literary work by naturalist Michael Pyle, whose premise is that today's young people are losing opportunities to have personal outdoor experiences.

"Hunting will survive based on what it is -- not on what we can make it appear to be," said Posewitz, whose efforts to educate the public about the hunter's role as one of the nation's most ardent supporters of conservation earned him the Outdoor Life Conservation Award.

That award was presented earlier this year in Las Vegas. Posewitz's credentials include degrees in wildlife management and 32 years with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

I have had the opportunity to hear Posewitz on three occasions and each time he has referred to President Theodore Roosevelt, an ardent hunter, as one of America's foremost conservationists.

During his tenure as president, Roosevelt spearheaded the efforts to establish an American conservation ethic, calling seven national conservation conferences and setting aside 230 million acres of land in the public estate. A land area, Posewitz said, equal in size to the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and Texas and "for wildlife, it was an estate of hope."

Posewitz then quoted Roosevelt, who said, "It is in our power to preserve large tracts of wilderness and to preserve game for all lovers of nature, and to give reasonable opportunities for the exercise of the skill of the hunter whether he is or is not a man of means."

While the conference's theme might suggest otherwise, research shows that the majority of Americans support lawful hunting. In 2002, the Responsive Management Group completed a survey for Ducks Unlimited.

Posewitz cited results of that study, which showed that "even though only about 10 percent of the United States population participates in hunting, 67 percent of the people approve of hunting. Another 8 percent harbored neutral feelings, 10 percent moderately disapproved and 14 percent strongly disapproved."

Those numbers, he said, have remained relatively constant.

"The persistent yapping-dog of the anti-hunters makes no discernible progress."

As we move into the future, hunters have what Posewitz calls an arsenal of assets with which hunting can be marketed to the broader community. These assets are "capable of preventing the extinction of experiences inherent in the hunt:

The conservation ethic of hunters;

The environmental achievement of hunters;

The richness of the North American hunting heritage;

The awesome legacy of wildlife restoration; and,

The pure joy of an honest relationship with what wildness remains on this good earth."

IHEA is an organization of hunter education professionals representing agencies from 70 state and provincial wildlife agencies and more than 70,000 volunteer instructors.

Les Smith, Nevada Department of Wildlife outdoor education coordinator and host of the conference, said more than 200 representatives from four countries made their way to the gathering.

In addition to the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Africa also are represented. New Zealand representatives had plans to attend but were unable because of conflicts.

Several European nations also have expressed interest in the organization, Smith said. The conference runs through Friday and will overlap with the Western States Instructor Rendezvous, also hosted by NDOW at the Silverton and the Spencer W. Kimball Boy Scout Camp at Mount Potosi.

In closing, Posewitz referred to a book review of "The Road to Martyr's Square" The book documents terminal messages left by suicide bombers.

Posewitz spoke of one message in particular, what he described as the final testament of a bomber from Gaza who wrote that he had seen the physical world and it doesn't amount to anything.

"Well," Posewitz stated emphatically, "our physical world amounts to something. We have a beautiful continent and nowhere is it better preserved than in the wild lands we hunt -- places that amount to something.

"The 13 million acres of potholes, wetlands and marshes restored and preserved by Ducks Unlimited amounts to something. The 500 acres a day being conserved by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation amounts to something. The 100 million acres of U.S. wildness now protected as wilderness amounts to something awesome in its proportion.

"All of these have come to our generation through the efforts driven by, or at least including, hunters. Experiences in places like that amount to something."

Doug Nielsen is a freelance writer, a member of Western Outdoor Writers and a former Nevada game warden. His "In the Outdoors" column is published Thursdays. He can be reached at DougNielsen@att.net.