By John Miraglia • Membership Chair, Raritan Valley Group
“All hands on deck!” is an order often given when a ship is in heavy seas and in danger of sinking. Forgetting personal squabbles or differences of opinion, the crew responds as a team to save the ship. New Jersey is the most densely populated state, and much of its remaining natural areas and the wildlife they support are in danger of sinking under a storm of housing and commercial development. Will New Jerseyans come together like a crew in a tempest or allow partisan differences to weaken our fight to protect the wilderness that remains?
While the Sierra Club as an organization recognizes the contributions of hunters and anglers to the preservation of our environment, some hard feelings remain between these individuals and some in the environmental community. But stereotyping people as “Bambi killers” or “tree huggers” is disrespectful and not in keeping with a commitment to diversity. It also limits our ability to work together to preserve our natural areas. Let’s examine what is keeping these potential allies apart and what can be done to forge an inclusive team.
The Biggest Hurdle
Hunting and fishing are blood sports. Many urban and suburban New Jersey residents are repulsed by these activities. But let’s take a closer look at this stumbling block to unity. Outdoors enthusiasts are often labeled as consumptive or non-consumptive users of natural areas and wildlife, yet this is a false dichotomy. If you live in a suburban home that was built where forest used to be, shop at a big box store supported by mega warehouses that also replaced a wooded area, or use parks designed for recreation rather than preserving nature, you are a consumptive user of nature. If you buy NJ vegetables grown on farms where farmers shoot deer that are eating their crops, you are a consumptive user of nature. We are all consumptive users of nature.
Believing the myth of nonconsumptive uses of nature can lead some to focus on what separates us and not on contributions made by those we disagree with. Here are a few examples.
Readers members might be familiar with NJ Fish and Wildlife’s (NJF&W) Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) project, which maps and links primarily nongame animal habitats and creates safe places for wildlife to cross busy roads.
Other projects involve partnerships among NJF&W, hunter and angler volunteers, and related sports associations that many might not be aware of. They include:
- Hunters for the Hungry: Hunters donate the deer they shoot to feed New Jersey’s poor. The butcher bills are paid for by NJF&W. Since 1997 this program has provided 225 tons of venison—that’s 2 million meals!
- Trout in the Classroom: Fly fishing volunteers from Trout Unlimited deliver trout eggs to classrooms throughout New Jersey, work with teachers and provide classroom curricula to help teach students about fish biology, the value of clean water, and the importance of the natural world. This program reaches 40,000 NJ students each year. At the end of the school year, the trout are released into suitable NJ streams. Read more about this program at: http://www.troutintheclassroom.org
These are only a few examples of the conservation work being done by hunter/angler volunteers and outdoors organizations in New Jersey.
Team Building Solution
How can we come together? Research by social psychologists has shown how to unite diverse groups. What works is creating diverse teams that work alongside each other to accomplish a mutual goal.
Making Connections
Sierra Club members and groups could work with hunting/fishing associations and form teams to address:
- Habitat restoration or stream cleanup projects
- Land management/conservation initiatives
- Education
Here are a couple of suggestions for making contact with NJF&W and Trout Unlimited for potential joint projects.
For contacts at New Jersey Trout Unlimited: http://www.tu.org/chapters/New-Jersey
Final Point
Membership numbers in volunteer organizations look impressive on paper, but not so much when it comes to hands-on actions. Diverse teams could help improve volunteer motivation and foster broader points of view and expertise on environmental issues.
We need to work together to preserve New Jersey’s natural areas.
John Miraglia is a member of the NJ Chapter’s Raritan Valley Group and a Sierra Club hike leader.