OUR BIG BACKYARD … All politics, even global warming, may ultimately be local.
The National Wildlife Federation, which in addition to its national membership includes nearly a million sportsmen associated with state and regional affiliates, recently polled the hook & bullet crowd on climate change. 54 percent of sportsmen said they’d noticed seasonal shifts (hotter summers, shorter winters, less ice cover on lakes, unusual drought, etc.), which they attributed to global warming. 70 percent said that global warming poses “a serious threat to fish and wildlife.”
The results of the poll, conducted by the research firm Responsive Management, will be published in Field & Stream magazine. F & S hasn’t shied away from political debates lately; its May issue includes an article on “unchecked energy development” in western states entitled “The Killing Fields.”
There’s also a web site where you can click on state maps to learn how climate change may affect the habitats, breeding cycles, and wintering grounds of familiar critters.
