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THE EDITOR'S JOURNAL--July 2010

                                         By Dave Hastings                                                     

Wisconsin DNR and the HSUS

   Outdoorsmen were first amazed, and then angered when they heard that the Wisconsin   Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) had partnered with the Humane Society of the United States on the funding for a series of public service announcements for the radio. The message (encouraging people to avoid trying to adopt baby animals from the wild) was an important message. However, Randy Stark, of WDNR, after considering the dire nature of state budgets, went to HSUS and asked them to cost-share the project, and of course the HSUS was happy to invest $6,000 into the project, and by extension, “purchase” some credibility.

   The FTA acted promptly, and quickly fired a letter off to the DNR expressing our outrage at the partnership. Trappers who discovered this news on line also began e-mailing and sending letters. Mr. Stark was surprised by the level of passion exhibited by trappers, hunters, and agricultural interests who clearly expressed their shock and anger. Senators, trappers, farmers, biologists—the phone, FAX and e-mail accounts were busy.

   In a lengthy phone conversation with Mr. Stark, several points were made clear to me. At first, Mr. Stark and the PR machine for the WDNR replied to the criticism by insisting that the message of the radio announcements was very important, and facing budget shortfalls, it seemed good to use HSUS money instead of outdoorsmen’s money. Our phone conversation occurred on the 19^th, a couple of weeks after the initial announcement, so Mr. Stark had heard most of the arguments already. I couldn’t be clear enough, it seemed, until I compared the taking of HSUS money to soliciting funds from the Taliban to do road repairs. Everyone needs roads, but would be totally unacceptable to pay for those roads using funds from a source that was out to destroy our way of life.

   Mr. Stark pointed out that the government agency did not have the luxury that trapping associations have of being able to ignore segments of society. HSUS are taxpayers too.

   By and large, Mr. Stark is not taking a position that his decision to ask HSUS for funds was a mistake. He did, however, almost express the idea of regret in two areas. First, he agreed regarding the distinction that it is one thing to not ignore someone, but quite another to ask them for funding. HSUS did not initiate the partnership, Mr. Stark did. The second are that he admits to is the idea that he did not solicit funding from outdoorsmen, if times are that hard. “Why not ask us first?”

   “That is a just criticism,” he admitted. He said that he thought we would prefer using HSUS money instead of state or outdoorsmen’s money. “I substituted my judgment for theirs, and that was a mistake.”

   At this point, however, we all want one more answer, and of course I had to ask: “Will you do this again?” His reply was not encouraging.

   “I cannot say that I will never, under any circumstances, ever do this again.”  He said that trappers were afraid that “…animal rights people are like the camel with his nose under the tent. But that is not correct; the camel is already in the tent.”

   That may be the one place that he and I agreed totally—the animal rights people are like the camel in the tent. Where we are light years apart, however, is in his position that since the camel is here, we need to compromise, to sit down at the table with him. I think most outdoorsmen would agree that we will not tolerate the camel in the tent, because the camel’s intent is to put an end to our way of life. We must, instead, drive him out.

   And as frightening as this one instance is, it has even broader implications in that we, more and more often, find people in decision-making positions who feel that one must strike a compromise with the intruding camel. Lord help us all if we have completely lost our sense of right and wrong in a spirit of compromise and camaraderie.  I believe we must look at all sides of an issue, and consider the other point of view. Still, there is a limit. At the risk of mixing metaphors, I believe that there is a point that a line must be drawn; you must never dance with the Devil.