Hikers, Birders & Bikers Should Not Be Swayed By “Fake News” About Sunday Hunting

I’m an enthusiastic hiker, backpacker and trail maintainer.  I help to maintain two separate sections of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.  My wife and I regularly hike on State Game Lands.  So, I’m worried about the movement to allow Sunday hunting in PA, right?  NOT AT ALL!!

In this era of “fake news” and fact-free opinion journalism, I believe it is important to look at the verifiable facts about hunting, especially Sunday hunting.  Non-hunters should not be swayed by irrational fears and preconceived notions.  Here are the facts, as I see them: 1. Sunday hunting has become legal throughout the U.S. and will likely become legal in PA soon. 2. By any rational measurement, it is not dangerous to hike, birdwatch or ride a bike with hunters, if you take a few simple precautions.  3. Most hunters are environmentalists too, and all of us who love the outdoors need to unite against the threats to it.

Most states currently allow hunting on Sunday.  Our neighbors in Delaware approved extensive Sunday hunting in 2018.  Virginia approved it in 2014. West Virginia approved Sunday hunting on public lands in 2018.  As of now, just three states have an extensive ban on Sunday hunting, Pennsylvania, Maine and Massachusetts.  By the way, did you know that hunting on Sunday is NOT really banned in PA?  You can currently hunt coyotes, crows and foxes on Sunday.  The trend is clear.  Sunday hunting is coming.  At least one and probably several bills will soon be introduced in the PA Legislature to allow significantly more Sunday hunting.

It IS safe to hike, bird, etc. in the woods with hunters.  I come from a family of hunters and I own a rifle, although I no longer hunt.  Perhaps my cherished childhood experience hunting with my Dad is why I don’t worry much about being in the woods with hunters.  I appreciate that many hikers, birders and mountain bikers did not grow up in the country like me.  Nor did many of you have a wonderful father who showed me the joys of connecting with nature while harvesting game in a responsible manner.  Some of you may be under the false apprehension that many hunters are reckless gun toters with no concern for safety.

I’m here to tell you that’s not true.  Did you know that almost all hunters had to take a hunter safety course before they could buy a hunting license?  Sometimes I think my fellow hikers should have to take a hiker safety course before going into the back country.  In this era of “fake news”, it’s easy to be swayed by hype.  But, statistically, the most dangerous thing we hikers do is drive on the highway to the trailhead.  The data shows that, on average, 37,500 people die on the highways each year.  Similar data shows that fewer than 1,000 people are shot in hunting accidents in our country, and fewer than 75 are fatalities.  So, 493 times as many people die on the highways in a year than are killed by hunters!!  Almost everyone knows several people who were killed on the highway.  Do you know any hikers or birders who were killed by hunters?

It is a good idea to take some precautions when enjoying the woods with hunters.  I follow a simple rule when hiking on a State Game Land or other woods where hunting is permitted.  I wear some blaze orange.  I don’t worry about what game is in season, I always wear a blaze orange hat or vest.  (Remember, you can always hunt something in PA.) Also, even I decline to hike on SGLs at certain times.  The best example is the popular two-week regular firearm deer season, which starts right after Thanksgiving.  Even then, I don’t feel especially nervous, if I have blaze orange on.  But we enjoy the solitude of the woods, and there’s not much solitude during that period.

The last point is probably the most important one.  Most hunters are environmentalists too, and you have a vested interest in their continued viability.  How can that be?  Many of our best hiking trails are on State Game Lands, in whole or in part.  That includes the grand daddy of all trails, the Appalachian Trail.  These precious wild spaces are protected and maintained by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.  Who provides the funding for the PGC’s extensive protection operations:  hunters, almost entirely.  The lions share of funding for the PGC comes from hunting license fees and an excise tax on firearms and ammunition, commonly known as Pittman-Robertson.  The PGC uses these funds to protect many wildlife species, many of which are NOT hunted by sportsmen.  And, that doesn’t even count the amazing work done by hunting environmental groups like Ducks Unlimited.

Here is what is for me the bottom line.  Our wild spaces are under siege from many threats: urban sprawl, invasive species, damage from fossil fuel extraction, to name just a few.  Those of us who love the outdoors need to join forces to fight back this onslaught.  The last thing we environmentalists need to do is pick fights with fellow environmentalists based on fake news and irrational prejudice, just because they enjoy the outdoors with a rifle in their hands.  Finally, here’s one positive step you can take.  Join me in supporting the PA Game Commission by purchasing a hunting license each year, even if you don’t hunt.

 - Jim Foster is a retired attorney who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail several years ago.  He is a life member and active maintainer with Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Keystone Trails Association, Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club and several other trails organizations.  He serves on Governor Wolf’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation.  He lives with his wife in suburban Harrisburg.

All Pennsylvania Outdoor Lovers Should Oppose HB 2013 and 2188

As a younger man, I enjoyed playing golf and tennis.  So, I have no objection to developing places to play the country club sports.  Now, as an older man, I enjoy hiking and backpacking in places like Pennsylvania's wonderful state parks and forests.  I do object to attempts by members of the Pennsylvania Legislature to develop some of our parks and forests into country clubs and similar facilities.

House Bill 2013 would establish a Public-Private State Park Partnership Board to review and approve contracts with private sector entities for development, financing, construction and operation of recreation, lodging, and ancillary facilities in Pennsylvania State Parks.  HB 2188 would mandate that at least four golf courses be carved out of existing state park land as a tribute to Arnold Palmer.

Why do we need this legislation?  According to Representative Jim Christiana, prime sponsor of the Arnold Palmer golf course bill, “The state park system has been stagnant for some time. My bill and the other legislation are ways to increase utilization of our parks, diversify users and increase recreation opportunities...” By the way, Mr. Christiana is reported to be a golfer with a 5.8 handicap.

I'm not sure which state park system Rep. Christiana is describing, but it is surely not that of our Keystone State.  In 2009, Pennsylvania’s 117-state park system competed with the best systems in the country, and was awarded the top honor as the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association.  In 2010, 38 million visitors visited Pennsylvania State Parks.  A study showed that visitors spent $859 million on their trips, supporting 12,630 jobs, and providing $397.8 million in labor income. The spending total includes the impact of businesses selling goods and services directly to visitors, and industries that sell goods or services to tourism-related businesses.  Does that sound like a "stagnant" system to you?

Don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with public private partnerships (P-P-P's).  And, as a western Pennsylvania native, you'll never hear me say anything bad about the legendary Arnold Palmer.  But why do we need a special board of political appointees  to decide which P-P-P's to enter into?  We already have an outstanding, award-winning, staff at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to decide which P-P-P's to enter into and which ones don't make sense for PA.  If the legislature wants to encourage more P-P-P's, why don't they do something sensible, like putting some funding in the budget to study P-P-P's.

What's worse, HB 2188, the Arnold Palmer golf course bill, would circumvent either DCNR's senior staff or the proposed P-P-P board.  The Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, would mandate that these golf courses be carved out of state park land, apparently with no cost-benefit analysis or review of the environmental impact.  What's next?  Will the Legislature mandate a water park at Gifford Pinchot State Park, a Disney-like theme park at World's End State Park, or office buildings at Colton Point State Park, atop the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon?

I spent my working life in the private sector, and I consider myself a conservative on many issues.  One of the best conservative maxims is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  There is nothing "broke" about DCNR, though they could use some more funding to keep up our parks and forests.  I have a deal to propose to the leaders in the Pennsylvania Legislature:  You concentrate your energies on working with Gov. Wolf to pass a budget on time.  But, please let the excellent senior staff at DCNR work on how to manage our state parks and forests.

Everyone who loves the wild spaces in our Keystone State should call their state legislator and tell him or her to oppose HB 2013 and 2188.

Eating Your Seed Corn

Governor Corbett’s state budget proposal speaks volumes about his priorities.  Oil and gas drillers will get a better deal than they get in any other state with significant Marcellus resources, since the proposed impact fee is much lower than the extraction taxes imposed by other states.  To pay for this largesse, he makes dramatic cuts to higher education.  This means our children will have to incur even larger student loan debts to pay for the education so vital to ensuring their future as well as that of our economy.

Our farmers have an expression for the strategy of sacrificing investments that will pay off in the future for the sake of short term gain.  It’s called “Eating your seed corn".  That sums up perfectly what is going on here.  Critically important investments in our future workers and leaders have been sacrificed.  Well established industries that made enormous campaign contributions are receiving huge breaks.  How do you think that’s going to work out over the long term?

Back To "Mission Accomplished?

This is a response to a Letter To The Editor that recently appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot-News.  Follow THIS LINK to see the original letter.

Mr. Ken Chrosniak wrote in a recent letter to the editor that he is insulted by Vice Pres. Joe Biden’s comment that the Taliban per se is not our enemy.  While I make no judgment on Mr. Chrosniak personally, I find his comments incredibly naïve.  They exemplify the hyper-political climate we are in these days.

Here is what I believe Mr. Biden meant by his remark.  The Taliban did not attack America.  Al qaeda did.  The reason we went to war against the Taliban was that they refused our demand to turn over the perpetrators of 9-11.  Mr. Biden was not saying that he embraces the narrow-minded hyper-religious views of the Taliban.  He was simply saying that we should not choose to go to war with every organization with whose policies and actions we do not fully agree.  Especially in these days of budget deficits, we can’t afford this, if indeed we ever could.

We had a President who seemed to embody Mr. Chrosniak’s world view, George W. Bush.  After 9-11, he declined to focus our energies on the group directly responsible for 9-11, al qaeda.  Instead, he first attacked Saddam Hussein based on trumped up charges that he had WMDs, would soon have nukes, and possibly had something to do with 9-11.  His partner in crime, Dick Cheney, suppressed those within the CIA who questioned the truth of these allegations.  This led us into a decade of trillions of misspent dollars, thousands of lost lives and much lost prestige on the world stage.

I prefer an Administration that carefully investigates allegations before proceeding with force, and keeps its commitments such as systematically eliminating Osama bin Laden and the other leaders of al qaeda.  Apparently Mr. Chrosniak would like to go back to the bad old days of “Mission Accomplished”.  He and I disagree about that.

I’m Sick Of Hearing About Sunday Hunting

I’m Sick Of Hearing About Sunday Hunting

The controversy raging among outdoors enthusiasts in Pennsylvania these days is whether to allow hunting on Sundays.  Sportsmen contend they should be able to hunt on one of their few days off from work.  Many hiking groups and farming organizations say they deserve this day of rest from the loud bangs and hoards of hunters.  I'm personally sick and tired of the whole controversy over Sunday hunting.

I have a somewhat unique perspective on the issue of Sunday hunting.  I come from a family of hunters, though I no longer hunt myself.  Some of my best childhood memories are of my Dad and me bundled up against the winter chill and searching for rabbits, squirrels or deer.  We never bagged too many, but this experience instilled in me a lifelong passion for the outdoors.  These days, I'm an avid hiker and backpacker, and President of an Appalachian Trail maintaining club.  Thus, I sort of have a foot in both worlds, those of hunters and non-hunting outdoor enthusiasts.

I believe that the causes of the friction between these two camps, as well as the possible solution, can be summarized in two words:  stereotypes and politics.  Let me elaborate.  Unfortunately, hunters and non-hunters don't interact with each other to any great degree.  As a result, both camps can fall into the trap of using stereotypes to characterize the other side.  Non-hunters tend to think that all hunters are a bunch of gun nuts that want to shoot anything that moves and don't care about gun safety.  Hunters tend to think non-hunters are a bunch of lefty tree hugger vegetarians who want to take away their firearms.  As for politics, most hunters tend to be somewhat right of center.  Most non-hunters are somewhat left of center.  Each side tends to focus on their political differences with the other folks, rather than focusing on what they have in common.  I maintain that if hunters and non-hunters spent more time with each other, they would find ways to get past their differences and work together in those areas where they have common ground.

Here's what I like to say to my non-hunter outdoor lover friends.  Hunters are much like you in many important ways.  They have a deep love of the outdoors.  They want to preserve our precious wild spaces so that their children and grand children can experience them.  The vast, vast majority of hunters are very careful with firearms.  Most of them have taken hunter safety courses.  It is really quite safe to hike during hunting season, as long as you take reasonable precautions such as wearing blaze orange.  After all, when was the last time you heard of a hiker getting shot by a hunter?  Another thing to keep in mind is that many of our best trails in Pennsylvania go through state game lands.  We're allowed to hike there thanks to hunters and our friends at the PA Game Commission. 

Here's what I say to my hunter friends.  Non-hunter outdoor lovers are much like you in many important ways.  They love the outdoors and the beauty of nature that you experience during hunting season.  They just choose not to take firearms into the woods.  The vast, vast majority of non-hunters have no problem with the responsible use of guns.  There simply is no conspiracy among hikers to take away your guns.  Like you, non-hunters want to see wild spaces preserved so they can take their children and grandchildren outside to experience them.  They want to turn off the Xbox and take the kids out to experience the original interactive game - the wonders of the natural world.

I say both hunters and non-hunters should first walk a mile in the other’s shoes, and then find ways to cooperate toward achieving common goals.  Hunters, go on a hike with one of the local trail clubs.  You’ll find folks who share your passion for the outdoors, but choose to express it a little differently than you.  Non-hunters, go on a hike during the fall or winter hunting seasons on one of our great trails that extends through state game lands.  One good choice is the Appalachian Trail and Darlington Trail near the top of Blue Mountain along the border of Cumberland and Perry County.  Be sure to wear plenty of blaze orange.  You might hear a bang every once in a while, but you’ll experience great views and the quiet pristine beauty of our Keystone State.

We lovers of the outdoors have some real enemies to contend with.  These include overdevelopment of our remote wild spaces, environmental degradation and pollution, and invasive plant and animal species.  Let’s spend our energies on these real problems, rather than fighting amongst ourselves.

All Hail Holy Saint Grover!!

It’s almost amusing to hear Budget Secretary Charles Zogby complaining about the state’s projected revenue shortfall in 2012.  This is a situation totally constructed by the Corbett Administration.  While running for Governor, Mr. Corbett signed Tea Party favorite Grover Norquist’s pledge not to raise taxes under ANY circumstances.  As a result, he will not propose a severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas.

Pennsylvania is the only state with significant Marcellus gas resources that does not impose a severance tax.  Even oil and gas friendly states like Texas and Louisiana have a severance tax.  Imposing a reasonable severance tax simply will not drive the drillers away, as long as the tax is competitive with that imposed by other states.

The reason the situation is almost amusing, but not actually so, is because of the impact Gov. Corbett’s genuflection to St. Grover is having on the citizens of Pennsylvania.  Our schools will be underfunded and teachers will be laid off.  Many low income Pennsylvanians will go without health insurance due to the cancellation of adultBasic.  The list goes on and on.

Most folks agree with the Corbett Administration that we need to tighten our fiscal belts in these tough economic times.  But, it defies logic to refuse to tax Marcellus Shale gas when everyone else is doing so.  One is forced to conclude that this Administration must be in the pocket of the oil and gas interests.

Here’s a simple question for the Corbett Administration – what is more important to you:  blind obedience to St. Grover or looking out for your constituents, the citizens of the Keystone State.  I guess we already know the answer to that one.

Two Shining Lights Amid The Squalor

For most folks in Central Pennsylvania, this has been a tough few weeks.  This is especially true of those associated with Penn State University and fans of Penn State football.  People we know and respect have been shown to have feet of clay.  But, it seems to me that, in most unsavory scandals, there are a few persons or organizations that make tremendous contributions and cover themselves with glory.  One example is the Watergate scandal, where the Washington Post, and specifically journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, made many of the critical discoveries.  I’ve noticed the same thing with the Jerry Sandusky Penn State scandal.  I would like to shine the light on two exemplars amidst the squalor.

It is now clear that our Governor, Tom Corbett, has served us well under trying circumstances over the past several years.  The Sandusky investigation was turned over to the Attorney General’s office due to the Centre County District Attorney having a conflict of interest.  By all accounts, General Corbett and his staff did a fine job of investigating the scandal.  Equally important, there were no leaks of any significance during the investigation.  Once General Corbett became Governor Corbett, the work was turned over to our current AG, Linda Kelly.

Surely the past year or so must have been excruciating for General and then Governor Corbett.  He clearly knew that the investigation was likely to rock the Penn State football program and the University, and perhaps end the career of arguably the most powerful and revered man in the Commonwealth, Joe Paterno.  He must have wondered why Penn State was doing nothing to reduce the impact of this cancer within its vital organs.  All of this was no doubt running through his mind while he was running a high profile campaign for chief executive of the state.  He couldn’t speak about this with anyone other those directly involved in the investigation.  I don’t know how he was able to pull it off.

Since Sandusky has been indicted and Gov. Corbett has been able to speak a bit more freely, he has set exactly the right tone as an ex-officio member of Penn State’s Board of Trustees.  He correctly points out that we need to focus not on a football coach or a university, but on the defenseless children who were violated and how little was done to protect them.  Some, probably including Coach Paterno, may have barely fulfilled their legal duty, but they certainly failed these children morally.

I am perhaps the ideal person to praise our Attorney General and now Governor for his incredibly competent, moral and ethical behavior.  I’m a registered Democrat who voted for his opponent in the gubernatorial race.  I have significant differences with the Governor in some policy areas, such as his administration’s environmental policy and the decision not to impose a severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas.  But, I have never doubted Mr. Corbett’s competence and ethics, and I was not disappointed here.  All of us, Democrats, Republicans and independents, should praise Governor Corbett for his exemplary performance in handling the Sandusky scandal.

The other organization that should be singled out for praise is the Harrisburg Patriot-News.  The P-N took the lead in investigating the Sandusky scandal months ago.  They seemed to realize early on the grave consequences this might have for Penn State, its football program and Coach Joe Paterno.  The capstone was the P-N’s brave editorial on the front page of the newspaper last week calling for Paterno and Pres. Graham Spanier to leave or be fired.  The decision to express the paper’s editorial opinion in so public a way was criticized by many.  But, subsequent events and the abrupt change in public opinion have shown that the P-N got it exactly right.

There is little doubt that the full nature of this scandal would never have come out except for the tireless investigative reporting of the P-N.  In the past week, I’ve heard several national news outlets mention that the P-N has taken the lead in reporting this story.  How often does a mid-size regional newspaper get mentioned prominently in the New York Times and on National Public Radio?

Newspapers like the P-N seem to be under fire from all sides these days.  Their revenue sources are in decline, due to the rise of alternative media outlets.  Classified ads, once the backbone of a newspaper’s revenue, are now in decline in the wake of free alternatives like Craig’s List.  Lots of younger folks get all of their news from broadcast TV or cable.  Ideologues rant on talk radio about how the newspapers put their own spin on the news, rather than reporting it.  Many have said that newspapers have become the buggy whips of this new millennium, rendered irrelevant by new technology.  The P-N’s outstanding reporting and editorial response to the Sandusky scandal show that reports of the death of the regional newspaper are greatly exaggerated.  We still desperately need these independent voices to keep our politicians and public figures honest.

Here’s a figurative toast to two outstanding voices amid the squalor of the Sandusky Penn State scandal, Gov. Tom Corbett and the Harrisburg Patriot-News.