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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Tuesday, August 4, 2020:
Why Trump’s Great American Outdoors Act is a generational win for conservation
President Trump has solved the riddle that has bedeviled previous presidents and Congress for decades, putting forth an unprecedented conservation funding proposal and calling on Congress to get it done for the American people.
His proposal, which became the Great American Outdoors Act, finally addresses the long ignored, multi-billion-dollar deferred maintenance backlog at our great national parks and public lands and permanently and fully invests in conservation and recreation opportunities through the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the tune of $900 million a year forever.
No president before President Trump challenged Congress to move forth with such a bold proposal, combining these two great conservation efforts and entirely funding them with mandatory appropriations. His call to action and sustained support to see it through until its passage resulted in a bipartisan crescendo in Congress with relatively swift action by both the Senate and House.
The history of this moment starts on January 28, 1987, when President Reagan received a report from the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors calling for a dedicated trust of $1 billion to replace the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was created in 1964 and rarely fully funded. Past Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama each released and advocated for proposals to create dedicated, “mandatory” funding for conservation programs or to address the National Park Service’s maintenance backlog, but their proposals all died on the vine or were changed significantly to the point of insignificance and irrelevance.
This L.A. hunter killed an elephant. Now he’s a PETA target in bid to end trophy hunting
In mid-December, Aaron Raby shot and killed an elephant. Hours later, he had a piece of it for dinner, with a side of sliced tomato and avocado.
A self-described “blue-collar” Los Angeles crane operator, Raby paid more than $30,000 for the once-in-a-lifetime experience — traveling more than 10,000 miles to South Africa to shoot and kill the tusked pachyderm. He then paid roughly $10,000 to have its head preserved as a souvenir of his adventure.
Yet Raby may never receive his trophy — which is still in South Africa being prepared by a taxidermist — if California enacts new legislation, Senate Bill 1175.
The legislation, which has passed the state Senate and is expected to pass the Assembly on Tuesday, would prohibit the importation and possession of animal parts from a list of endangered and threatened African species, including elephants, lions and rhinos.
In mystery of a meat allergy caused by ticks, fire ants may have role to play in protecting SC
Residents of South Carolina and other parts of the Deep South may be less likely to catch a red meat allergy where there are fire ants present.
That’s the theory, at least, floated in a peer-reviewed study with 14 authors published in June. Their idea is a novel one, suggesting a battle in the insect world.
The meat allergy, or specifically allergy to a sugar in red meat called “alpha gal,” is triggered in humans by tick bites. Fire ants, then, must be attacking the ticks that lead to this disease, this group of researchers suggest.
It’s a novel conclusion that the red imported fire ant, a mound-building menace across backyards of the Southeast for decades, could help protect humans against much of anything. The biting ants themselves can cause their own painful and dangerous allergic reactions.
Researchers diving into COVID-19 effects on recreational fishing
Americans seem to have fallen back in love with the outdoors during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. With organized sports, spectator-fueled events and formal schools being shuffled to the side to slow the spread of the virus, time in the outdoors seems to have become a rediscovered gem to many people looking to escape cabin fever during self-imposed quarantines.
Rods, reels, canoes, kayaks, mountain bikes and all other sorts of outdoors equipment has flown off shelves so quickly that manufacturers have been unable to keep up with demand.
But how many of these people are newcomers to the outdoors? Has the pandemic increased awareness of hunting and angling or is it just a matter of people suddenly finding time to do what they remember enjoying years ago? Is COVID-19 actually responsible for the uptick in sales or is something else at play? These are questions researchers at Louisiana State University and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are looking to answer.
Recently, the AGFC helped distribute surveys to 25,000 randomly selected fishing license holders to gauge their motivations for fishing this year and to see if the disease has actually played a part in their decision-making process.
Other Stuff That Might Tickle Your Fancy
For years, black bears have been making a slow but steady comeback in #Texas via @TexasMonthly: https://t.co/eEhirbAGl6
— TX Parks & Wildlife (@TPWDnews) August 3, 2020
Ouch‼️That’s gotta hurt! Not exactly what @mattdrury81 wanted find on the @ReconyxInc cameras! 👀 Have you ever seen an injury this bad on your trail cameras? How did you handle the situation? 🤷🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/esgkAp8gSe
— Drury Outdoors (@DruryOutdoors) August 4, 2020
A complete under water #Monster!!😱🥶#fish #fishing #bassfishing #angler #bait pic.twitter.com/nxfDMAmRQg
— Fishing Lover Amy 🇺🇲 (@FishingLoverAmy) August 2, 2020
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