DNR - Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force

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Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force

Studies have proven that there is a noticeable decline in the percentage of the population taking part in hunting and fishing in this state and that similar trends are mirrored in other parts of the country. A collective effort has arisen here and elsewhere to make the citizenry aware of the important historical perspective of our outdoor heritage. This heritage is a part of our tradition, provides an important set of ethics, and connects us to this great land.

Nature is a system composed of vast and complex interrelationships, and human beings are an integral part of that system. With the advent of urban/suburban society, we, as a public, are becoming increasingly distant from the land. We are becoming removed from a realistic understanding of our relationship with wildlife and our role in natural processes, including food procurement and consumption. We must teach young people, in particular, about the dynamic processes of life and death, the renewability of our great natural resources, and our role in the enhancement of ecological processes.

Table of Contents
Mission Statement

Historical Perspective

Societal Trends

Factors Affecting Hunting and Fishing Heritage

Long Term Involvement Opportunities

About the Task Force

Body of Recommendations

Establish a DNR Information and Education Division

Create Outdoor, Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Education Programs

Partnerships with Outdoor-Related Groups

Establish Working Partnerships with Teaching Organizations

Secure the Funding for the DNR Information and Education Division

Increase the Accessibility to Hunting and Fishing

Establish New NRC Advisory Committee to Oversee I & E Division

Support Establishment of the Hunting & Fishing Heritage Defense Fund

Final Note: Task Force to Reconvene in Six Months

Mission Statement
The primary charge of the Governor's Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force is to propose specific recommendations on how to better educate our children so that they gain a greater respect for our outdoor, hunting and fishing heritage. To reach this end, the task force will establish a plan to promote fishing and hunting, promoting the historical importance of the outdoor sportsperson as conservationist, while examining the concerns of people opposed to these activities.

Historical Perspective
Nearly every child in Michigan has heard the story of the impact that the fur trading era had on the development of this state. Fewer children know that when this era ended, fishing took the place of fur trading as an equally important occupation and influence on many settlement communities, particularly along the Great Lakes shoreline. Probably even fewer Michigan children know the story of how important hunting was to early settlements, or how hunting and fishing shaped the cultures of those who were here before the arrival of explorers, traders and settlers.

Today, only a handful of Michigan communities have documented local traditions or the lives of the tradition-bearers who keep our state's hunting and fishing heritage alive. In fact, many Michigan citizens are without the benefit of direct contact with our rich and varied fisheries and wildlife resources provided by the activities of hunting and fishing. Those with this direct contact have been, and still are, the primary stewards and major benefactors of Michigan's fisheries and wildlife, contributing financial resources, time and energy to our state's conservation efforts. Yet, today, large segments of Michigan's citizenry are "missing out" on opportunities to develop long-term involvement with our state's hunting and fishing resources and heritage.

Social Trends
Participation in hunting and fishing is a substantial and essential part of Michigan's culture, including 24 percent of the state's population age 16 and older. In the late 1980's, however, the number of participants peaked and has not grown since.

Many societal trends are now known to have effects on hunting and fishing participation. National, regional and state studies have shown the following:

As anglers and hunters age, they reduce their participation in the activity, and Michigan's population is aging. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of state residents between ages 10 to 18 has declined nearly 21 percent; the number of young adults aged 18 to 24 has also dropped by 20 percent. This trend, the aging of our citizenry, will be felt by hunting and fishing communities and agencies like the DNR who serve them.
Males and females still differ in their recruitment to fishing and hunting and in their development of long-term involvement. White males seem to be participating at the same or reduced rates, and greater recruitment of females into hunting and fishing is occurring nationally. Females, however, are still less likely than males to have certain hunting and fishing experiences at an early age. In a recent study of Michigan anglers, females were less likely than males to have attended fishing clinics as youths, and fewer females than males have gone fishing with local youth organizations. Women constituted 26 percent of low-involvement anglers and only 7 percent of high-involvement anglers.
The changing characteristics of families may have some influence on youths' exposure to hunting and fishing. In 1990, nearly 23 percent of Michigan youth lived with only one parent. Little is known about whether this has long-term impact on an individual's interest in hunting and fishing.
Increasing urbanization has probably had an impact on citizens' views toward and participation in hunting and fishing over the past several decades. Urbanization may affect citizens' access to fish and wildlife resources, but it may also affect the opportunities citizens have for particular types of recreational learning activities. For example, a study done by Michigan State University showed that, among anglers who grew up in urban areas, fewer reported that immediate family members fished, giving them less opportunity for exposure to recreational mentors.
Other sociodemographic changes, such as increasing proportions of minority groups in Michigan, may have some effect on how well-connected citizens are with a hunting and fishing heritage. Little is known about the participation of specific groups in hunting and fishing activities throughout the state.

Factors Affecting
Hunting and Fishing Heritage
In spite of these trends, educators and researchers have learned that many factors can be provided to increase the likelihood that citizens are at least exposed to hunting and fishing activities and supportive of those who hunt and fish, although they may not participate themselves.

Researchers at Cornell University have noted that the first step is to create AWARENESS of hunting and fishing opportunities and heritage. School programs, informational materials and other communication strategies can help Michigan citizens become aware of their heritage, but educators cannot stop here.
The next step in helping citizens connect with hunting and fishing is to provide opportunities for HANDS-ON EXPOSURE to these activities. School programs, camps, clubs and organizations provide many such opportunities throughout the state. National Hunting and Fishing Day programs, Free Fishing Weekend and other similar events are examples of promoting increased exposure to hunting and fishing resources.

Researchers at Michigan State University and elsewhere have observed just how important this exposure is in motivating people toward involvement with the resource. For example, 45 percent of Michigan's most involved, most active anglers reported that their first fishing experience occurred before age 5! Most of these anglers had their initial exposure to fishing with family members serving as mentors. Higher proportions of Michigan's very active anglers participated in fishing clinics, events or youth activities at a young age. Furthermore, the quality of the earliest experiences appears to be very important in relation to long-term commitment to the activity.

Participating in introductory activities (such as accompanying adults into the field) during childhood and teen years is also very important in encouraging youth to explore hunting as an activity. However, researchers, educators and agencies know that merely exposing people to hunting and fishing is not enough to develop life-long interests, activity patterns or ethics. Consider that over 88 percent of Michigan's children in grades 1-3 report that they have tried fishing. Why, then aren't there more participants who stay with the activity?

Long Term
Involvement Opportunities
Many studies have noted the importance of individuals making CONTINUED CONTACT with hunting and fishing. Having equipment and access to recreational opportunities assists in this connection. Michigan State University's study of Michigan anglers noted that fishing involvement during the teenage years was the most influential factor in promoting long-term participation in and support of fishing. Mentorship and apprenticeship experiences, usually during adolescent years, also have been demonstrated to be important. Educational programs that encourage repeated opportunities for learning have the most impact. All of these longer-term experiences provide individuals with the social support needed to continue their involvement once they start, and to become life-long learners about fish and wildlife stewardship.

About the Task Force
The Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force, which is comprised of leaders and sportspeople from every corner of the state, supports the scientific management of our natural resources. This task force also recognizes the need to create a constituency for sound, sustainable natural resource management for future generations. To achieve these goals, the task force, which convened in April 1995, approached this challenge by creating an action plan. This action plan identified what is currently available and accessible within our state, with special emphasis on educational programs now in use in our school system and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and those offered by the many groups and associations throughout Michigan. Following this discovery process, the data were reviewed for strengths, weaknesses and voids. It was essential to be especially mindful that curricula and programs should not be driven by hidden agendas, as the task force sought viable and effective ways to meet its mission:

to educate children to develop respect for our outdoor, hunting and fishing heritage,
to promote hunters as they truly are, i.e., as conservationists,
to advocate the joys of hunting and fishing, and
to examine the concerns of those opposed to these practices.

A constituency for natural resources can be successfully enhanced by providing access to and use of the environment. We must try to get more of our citizens directly involved in outdoor activities, reconnect them to this great and bountiful land, and create excitement for the opportunities before them. In particular, the task force concluded that women, children and urban populations must be better acquainted with this strong outdoor heritage.

Partnerships have been a theme the last decade; it has been proven that much more can be successfully accomplished by a coalition than by individual groups working separately. Successfully maintaining the heritage of hunting and fishing can best be accomplished by fostering open communication and working partnerships with the DNR. Among the entities that can unite in this purpose with the DNR are the Michigan Department of Education, outdoor sportsmen and sportswomen, conservation groups and associations, other youth-serving and community organizations, teaching institutions, teaching organizations, intermediate school districts, math and science centers, civic agencies, business and industry, private land owners and other segments of Michigan's citizenry. Together, these combined forces can educate and practice stewardship of our diverse fish and wildlife resources.

It is critical that the DNR provide leadership with these entities and the public toward the goal of preserving our hunting and fishing heritage. That is why the task force is recommending, first and foremost, that a division or office whose sole duty is to inform and educate be established at a high level in the DNR. To date, scattered efforts by various DNR divisions has resulted in less effective message delivery. The need is great to create the Office of Information and Education in the DNR to bring a cohesive and comprehensive approach in gathering and disseminating informational and educational materials. Without this leadership, the remaining recommendations of this task force will be much more difficult to implement.

Achieving the goals of the Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force will require the establishment of a network of dedicated groups and individuals and the formation of a special information and education office in the DNR. Together, these will promote the conservation of multiple-use needs and establish the means necessary to provide sustainable, huntable wildlife populations for future generations. By sharing resources, knowledge, facilities, enthusiasm and ideas, the people of this state can assure the preservation and enhancement of the rich heritage that is ours. Working together, we can give the sports of hunting, fishing and trapping the honor these activities merit, and the opportunity to be an integral part of the future history that is, as we speak, being forged in this great state of Michigan.

January 8, 1996,
Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force
I. Establish an information and education division of the michigan department of natural resources.

Through this newly created division, the dnr should develop and implement an aggressive marketing strategy, with the goal of educating and informing the citizens of michigan, including all dnr employees, about our hunting, fishing and trapping heritage, and, thereby, encourage more citizens to become involved in these and other outdoor activities.

A division of the DNR should be established to serve as the coordinating unit for education, information and marketing of DNR programs, providing schools, clubs, groups and individuals in Michigan with information to help preserve our hunting, fishing and trapping heritage. The overall goal would be to preserve the quality of life through fish and wildlife habitat protection and enhancement.

The heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping in Michigan is very important and has had a tremendous impact on the overall development of Michigan as a state. Using history and current examples to develop respect and understanding, it is important that all citizens become aware of this heritage and be given every opportunity to learn about and engage in hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor activities. The message should be conveyed that this heritage is a privilege of the people of Michigan. Hunting, fishing and trapping activities should be depicted as acceptable, ethical, essential, time-honored and family-oriented.

The Information and Education Division should be established at a level at which it is directly accountable to the DNR Director and such that it has open access to other divisions.
The Information and Education Division should have adequate staffing to accomplish its mission, including placement of a qualified division chief to oversee the division's activities.
The Information and Education Division should be staffed to enable it to reach the people of Michigan and visitors, and to develop liaisons and partnerships with educational entities, groups and associations, business and industry. It is to the DNR's advantage to respond and provide the expertise and scientific knowledge to help these groups develop events and programs to increase the general public awareness of hunting and fishing.
The groups and organizations should be made aware of the technical and planning assistance available in the DNR, and supervisors should provide work time to allow employees to participate in these efforts for outside groups and organizations.
The Information and Education Division should be established within 90 days of the acceptance and approval of the Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force Report by Governor John Engler.
The DNR should educate its employees about the DNR's mission, programs and services, including hunting, fishing, trapping and outdoor recreation, in order to develop a greater pool of effective agency spokespersons.
The Information and Education Division should encourage and coordinate informational and educational services on television, radio and the Internet to focus on the mission of the DNR, using appropriate celebrity role models, if warranted.
The DNR should also develop an historical overview and/or visual presentation of how hunting, fishing and trapping contributes to Michigan's development. This should be made available to historical museums, magazines which focus on historical perspectives, and educators, among others.
The Information and Education Division should assemble a comprehensive library of existing DNR educational materials, update the library regularly, and promote the library's existence and availability of materials. Materials from the library should be made available to the public on a loan basis at no cost, to the degree possible.
A format for sharing DNR information and education efforts with other states and federal agencies should be developed to consolidate, share and improve communication.
A comprehensive communications network should be developed and maintained. It should include outdoor and education specialists, media from around the state, and national specialists, writers and editors. These individuals should be invited to participate in seminars and other events which focus on the heritage of hunting and fishing, provided with story ideas, and given access to a comprehensive, media-oriented database at no expense to those accessing it.
The DNR should form a stronger partnership with the tourism industry, to promote resource-based recreational opportunities.
The DNR should coordinate the production of weekly television segments on Michigan's hunting, fishing and outdoor heritage, to be aired on local television stations. These segments would be promoted for use on weekday news programs and distributed to all Michigan TV stations.
The DNR should explore the establishment a DNR toll free phone line to allow the public access to recorded messages on hunting, fishing and outdoor activities.
The DNR should explore the possibility of expanding the DNR's "Partners in Responsible Conservation" Awards Program to more visibly recognize those citizens, businesses, agencies, and others who exemplify sound, pro-active and ethical resource management and communication. Also, a system of educators' awards and recognition should be included to focus upon those who prove exemplary in utilizing sound resource education methods to promote informed decisions by youth concerning hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor activities.

II. Create and coordinate outdoor, hunting, fishing and trapping education programs that can be utilized by schools, clubs, associations and other groups.

There is a vital need for the promotion of outdoor education curricula that target youth and transcend many disciplines such as science, social studies, history, ethics, writing and communication. These materials should be made available to all educational entities, including public and private schools, home-based programs and nonformal educators. Every effort should be made to form partnerships with education, business and industry, sporting organizations, civic agencies, etc., to expand and coordinate new and existing educational programs through the following activities:

Endorse and support interdisciplinary curricula, such as the Leopold Project and other successful and proven materials. Effective curricula should include teacher manuals and support materials in the form of textbooks, videos, newsletters, computer programs, etc.
Catalog curriculum materials and programs -- or cooperate with existing catalogs currently available from schools, groups or associations -- and make that catalog available in booklet form, as well as via electronic mail and the Internet on the DNR home page and State Information System, or any new, appropriate systems that are developed in the future.
In cooperation with intermediate school districts, math and science centers, and others, the DNR should introduce and provide on a regular basis an outdoor magazine which covers hunting and fishing in a positive manner. This magazine should be provided to each student in at least one grade (preferably 4th or 5th grade) throughout the state. The magazine should include a teacher's guide. Suggested publications include Falcon (Falcon Publishing, Helena, Montana), Tracks (Michigan United Conservation Clubs), or a combined version of the two. Other publications could be considered. If the Falcon Magazine is selected, the DNR could create or coordinate a sixteen-page, Michigan-specific insert four times per academic year. The impact of using the magazine should be evaluated on a regular basis.
Develop special education initiatives to complement DNR missions and objectives, such as wildlife flash cards and computerized learning programs which could also be used in public settings as well as in schools, museums, nature learning centers and other areas where there is opportunity to interface with the public.

III. Promote Creative Parnerships with Groups and Associations in Michigan and Nationally

Many groups and organizations, such as Pheasants Forever, MUCC, Safari Club International, 4-H and others, have been providing education materials to students for many years. These groups also support significant research efforts and have committed themselves to becoming more involved in a comprehensive effort to introduce and support education on behalf of hunting, fishing, trapping and outdoor activities. One of the most effective ways to promote further understanding is to provide access and opportunity for the exchange of experiences, knowledge, pending actions and ideas between groups and organizations thorugh efforts such as these:

The Information and Education Division could serve as a coordinating unit for group activities, group publications, and programs which specifically target hunting, fishing, trapping and outdoor activities to avoid duplication with DNR programs and maximize opportunities.
A comprehensive calendar of events organized by groups and associations should be maintained and publicized.
Inventory meeting facilities and make that information available to all interested parties.
Coordinate special publications, in cooperation with groups and associations, to promote species- or issue-specific information dissemination.
Develop a strong, active, working partnership between DNR-sponsored programs such as "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" and similar endeavors. Expand upon the theme of "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" to include single-parent households, young women and girls, and other targeted groups.
The DNR should work with groups and associations to promote year-round training for youth in gun safety and firearm use and promote recreational/instructional shooting at both private and public shooting ranges.
Develop an Adopt-a-Hunter and/or Adopt-an-Angler program designed to increase youth involvement. Utilize DNR staff, retirees and others to mentor youthful participants.
Develop programs and initiatives for use by youth-oriented organizations (4-H, Scouts, etc.) which promote the state's natural resources and outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing and trapping.

IV. Establish Working Partnerships with Teaching Institutions, Teaching Organizations, Intermeniate School Districts, State School Districts and University Math and Science Centers, Among Others.

One of the greatest challenges facing natural resource education programs is to make instruction interesting, fun and easily accessible to all children in Michigan. The best method for accessing organized education is by making available acceptable, interdisciplinary educational curricula that can be adopted and promoted by educators and teaching institutions, with solid support from the Michigan Department of Education. Gaining the support and participation of the teaching community in Michigan is critical toward meeting the goals set forth by this task force, and merits sincere effort through activities such as these:

Activate and update the Memorandum of Understanding between the DNR and the Michigan Department of Education, and specify time lines for initiation and completion of goals outlined in the MOU.
Expand in-service training for teachers, focusing on "Outdoor Days." Teachers could be trained in many of the specific outdoor education curricula that will have been endorsed by the DNR Information and Education Division. Work with and through teaching associations, as well as other groups and associations, to promote and offer scholarships to teachers who wish to attend these training seminars but cannot obtain the financial support.
Utilize existing research on outdoor environmental education done by education support agencies. Utilize their distribution and outreach capabilities, and encourage new research in areas of need.
Develop an "Outdoorsperson Speakers' Bureau" in cooperation with education support agencies including, but not limited to, DNR employees, and make this resource available to all formal education entities with provisions for distribution to nonformal entities such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, church and civic groups and others.
Promote information dissemination on how to utilize natural resources education materials which reflect the strong heritage of hunting, fishing, trapping and outdoor education to meet state educational objectives, including MEAP testing.

V. Secure Adquate Funding for the DNR Information and Education Division, and Support its Outreach Efforts.

It is imperative that funding be secured to conduct the appropriate outreach programs and distribute information about hunting, fishing and trapping. The DNR, groups and associations, educators and administrators, legislators and the State Executive Office must be convinced that there is a genuine need for supporting this initiative. The task force recommends these specific actions:

Seek and secure legislative line-item support.
Develop partnerships within the corporate sector to fund specific areas of interest in need of education outreach.
Seek grants, including funding opportunities from groups and organizations.
The DNR Director shall allocate from existing divisions funding and/or personnel at such levels and proportions necessary to assure successful operation and completion of the new Information and Education Division's mission.
Negotiate an agreement with DEQ to dedicate 10 percent or more of all financial returns from environmental case settlements to DNR Information and Education efforts.

VI. Increase the Accessibility to Hunting and Fishing

While Michigan offers widespread opportunities to hunt and fish, more could be done to encourage participation, especially in high population centers, to utilize this state's bountiful natural resources. All divisions within the DNR should work together, making hunting and fishing more accessible on both public and private lands. Accepting this challenge will open opportunities for those who do not now participate in hunting and fishing. This task force hopes all citizens can learn the joys of hunting and fishing and develop lasting ties to our natural resources, given opportunity and access to the resource.

The DNR should update and revise the hunting access programs to become more cost competitive and promote better access to private lands.
The DNR Fisheries Division should adopt a "non-possession" season wherever catch and release activity will not threaten fish populations. Such action will not negate the consumptive values of fishing, but will expand angling opportunity and enjoyment.
The DNR should retain the current age for fishing licenses.
Develop partnerships to promote "Take a Friend Fishing" and other programs with similar goals.
Where possible, expand opportunities to hunt and fish within urban parks and recreation areas.

VII. The Natural Resources Commission Should Incorporate, within it's Existing Structure, a New Advisory Committee to Help Guide and versee the Information and Education Outreach Efforts of the DNR.

This committee will be a conduit through which information needs from the public and information dissemination needs developed by the Information and Education Division can be coordinated.

The NRC should have oversight capability for this education effort in the DNR.
Regular reports from the chief of the DNR's Information and Education Division should be provided to the NRC.
The NRC Chair should select members for an advisory committee and allow it to convene within 90 days of the acceptance of the Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force final report by Governor John Engler.

VIII. Support the Establishment of the Hunting and Fishing Heritage Defense Fund for the Purpose of Defending and Protecting the Future of Hunting, Fishing and Trapping.

The Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force acknowledges the threat of the organized anti-hunting and the animal rights movement to our hunting and fishing heritage.

FINAL NOTE:

The Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force shall reconvene in six months and thereafter, if the group deems it necessary, to evaluate progress made toward meeting the goals outlined in this action plan, and take any actions necessary to bring about the completion of this vital mission.


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