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Author Topic: OUR RIVER SYSTEMS AND THE GOVERNMENT  (Read 4386 times)

sassygrams

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Re: OUR RIVER SYSTEMS AND THE GOVERNMENT
« Reply #15 on: November 27, 2006, 09:17:48 PM »
I'll take a shot at this...  may not be well liked as a response so be kind :)

I do not have faith in our government as I believe they could be doing a lot more for society in general - as far as our river systems ....  I think if we all enjoy the sport of fishing... each of us should take up what we believe in and try to instill in good habits in others around us.  I know that if I fish somewhere that there is a mess - I clean it up for the enjoyment of all.  I think if we were all a bit more proactive with new fisherman/women we wouldn't have the disaster and horrible fishing ethics which I have personally seen in the lower mainland...  We may not be able to influence the older generation, but the younger generation will learn by example and that is not government involved.  It takes a bit of time and patience - maybe a clean up or two by each of us to make our river systems enjoyable for all.  Government is too busy taking care of themselves and those with power and money - fish don't have that influence - they have all of us who truly enjoy the sport and will take that extra effort to sustain it for future "fisher" people.  I know myself, that if it wasn't for the direction of some good people which I have met here and on the river systems that I have learnt the proper way and am learning about the water clarity, how it affects the fish, what spawning actually means - other than eggs and more fish to catch in the up coming years.

This may not have sense - or off topic - but I think this is all up to us and if we lose interest or think that others should do things about the problems, then we'll have nothing.  I do not have a lot of money, but my time is valuable and if we all put that together - we'll be more productive than a government offical who doesn't give a darn.

That's it.  Thanks for sharing.
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"Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are made for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration." - Izaac Walton

bentrod

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Re: OUR RIVER SYSTEMS AND THE GOVERNMENT
« Reply #16 on: November 27, 2006, 09:38:57 PM »
people who pollute and poach are only part of the problem.  Speaking for the way things typically are in the US, people elect local representatives (either county commissioners or city council persons).  These people make land use decisions and ultimately speak for the people on what the landscape will look like.  Unless we have a very educated and active citizenry, these electeds often (in my opinion) make uninformed or selfish decisions which allow development to occur in places that are not suitable for development.  Many times the developer gets off cheap and does not have to be responsible for the after effects of development.  While candy wrappers, junk and poaching are bad things, massive mud slides from removal of vegetation, sewage spills, impervious surfaces increasing runoff velocity, lack of stream shading due to vegetation removal, fertilizer runoff, etc. are also a critical factor to the degradation of our natural environment. 

If something is going to get done, we must all be involved and all demand responsible growth.
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