This months article is about respect. Oh great you say. This oneís gonna be really boring. No interesting story with a moral at the end. Great. Hold on now, letís just wait a minute & see what it is I come up with. Maybe it is boring, or maybe there is a something to be learned. First what is respect? Well the Winston Dictionary for schools Copyright 1958 defines it as 1. Regard for worth; honor and esteem 2. To regard as important, and it goes on to list examples of these concept. Since this is an organization of wildlife about wildlife and the conservation of the resources necessary for the continuation of wildlife for all to appreciate & benefit from, lets make this article about that. So how do we integrate this concept into our lives as we purport to sustain this resource. The other definition that we need to put forward here is conservation 1. The prevention of waist or loss especially of natural resource for perpetual and continued use of the resource. Not no use, but rather perpetual and continued use. I hope the environmentalist and preservationist hear this one. So naturally in order to respect nature it is a function of conservation just in itís practice. These concept go hand and hand and can not be separated with out negative consequences for both concepts. So how do we show that we respect our resource. There are many ways that are exhibited today. Modern scientific management of game and non-game species and the habitats that support them. Our belief in these systems and methods and conducting ourselves accordingly.

Was it always this way? ABSOULTLY NOT!! The European culture that entrenched it self on this continent was often one of wanton use abuse and destruction. What you say. That is a pretty inflammatory statement. However, it is true. Many of our forefathers RAPED the natural resources for their own needs & benefits. With absolutely no care about the consequences or the impact of their actions. Well just, hold on here a minute friend, themís fightin words. However, it is true. Why else would a resource such as the passenger pigeon which numbered in the BILLIONS be extinct today. By heavy abuse through over harvesting and habitat destruction. They thought that a resource so vast would never end. WRONG!! Why do we have runs of Shad, Alewives & Atlantic Salmon in only a small part of their original range, and why did we undertake such a boondoggle to try and restore them to some of their former range. To try to right the wrongís that had been perpetrated upon that resource through building of dams which stopped the upstream migration of these fish for spawning. The dumping of toxins into these rivers that poisoned the creature and the environment they lived in. Why do we have today the White Mountain National Forrest? A wonderful piece of nature to be used by the populous of the nation. Because the lumber barons of the late 1800s & early 1900s so abused, stripped and denuded this environment, leaving a waist land when they left an area, the local municipalities did not have the knowledge or resources to deal with this. So they approached the Federal Government to intercede and take over management of these lands. In each example the acts go much deeper than what I have stated here, and can be found in many of our states and national historical resources.

Interesting you say but what does this have to do with your original topic?

Well Iím a gittin to that, but first I had to make a case of the lack of respect that existed in some areas for an extended time. In many cultures there has been and still is a deep appreciation of any game be it terrestrial or aquatic that is harvest. For instance since itís inception fly fishing has been very much about conservation of the resource. Such as catch and release. Trying to wet oneís hands, before handling the fish etc. Granted it has evolved over time but the original concept was there from the start. That is one reason they did it that way. Respect, plain & simple. There is one guide that I know here in the state that at the end of the fishing trip gives a toast of Sakae as an offering. A really nice touch I think. Very, Respectful. As for harvesting of terrestrial game, the German culture would often put a sprig of greenery in the mouth of the animal and say a prayer of thanks & gratitude. Then of course for me are the people that have the ultimate respect for the natural world. All of the aboriginal cultures of the globe. Throughout out time. They realized that, to not have respect of this wonderful resource would mean an end to them and the life of their people. The native Americans practiced this way of life and belief until their way of life was destroyed buy the European culture that saw no more value in them than it did in the natural resource. That is once again illustrated by such example as the wholesale slaughter of buffalo for their hideís only. Leaving the carcasses to rot. That was so foreign to the Native Americans that never could grasp the concept why anyone would be so wasteful. It had been determined at the Department of Indian Affairs that one of the ways to rid the plains of these people was to eliminate there most valuable resource. The buffalo, and came up with the strategy of developing a market for the hides to accomplish this. The did, very successfully.

As Iíve mentioned before Iím a small part Native American. Because of this I have had a great interest in their beliefís, practices & cultures. The Native Americans showed their respect in many ways for their mother, the earth, but since we are talking about harvesting that is what I will concentrate on. Before a hunt most hunters would say a prayer asking the that the Great Spirit that their an animal be asked that it would be willing to sacrifice it self for the betterment of the hunter, his family, and his people. There were also prayers to thank the Great Spirit for the bounty of their harvest. I personally practice these two customs. I feel it is important. For Me. It may not be for every one, to each his/her own. There were prayers to give one strength to go through life and do the right things. There were prayers of giving and for one another to have enough through life, & to have a good life.

Yea, yea, Wayne. Very interesting, but what is your point this time, what is the ì moral of the story this time. Well Iím not exactly sure that there is a moral, other that to realize just what a fragile world and life we live in. To respect the world that we live in, respect others right and property. Respect OUR natural resources for our own use, the use by others, and the use of our descendents in the future. To teach each other, our descendants and those that have no idea how to respect all of these things. For now and all time. It is up to us, folks. No one else is going to do it. Iím going to try to do my small part. It may be flawed, it may not be perfect, but Iím Going to try. For myself, my love ones, and those that give a damn, and especially for those that do not. They are the ones that need it the most, even if they donít know it yet . I do this with my own life, and I try to do that with each one of my clients.

So Wayne, why all this concern about respect & conservation? Well the simple answer is that I like to spend as much time in the out of doors as I can. I enjoy it as much as anyone else. Also as a full time guide that makes my entire living in the outdoors I have a vested interest in this subject. Not just for me but for my clients as well. The people that come here to spend time with the licensed guides of the state spend money elsewhere also. Food, lodging, equipment, Etc. Believe it or not, Guides want to preserve these resourceís as much as any one else. Guides are not here to make short-term gains & then move on. We are hear for the long haul, and we owe it to all concerned parties to move forward this approach to conservation. Through respect. So the next time you see a working guide give them a wave of appreciation, & Iíll just bet they return one of that nature also.

Well Iíve preached enough. Iím going to leave you with three Native American prayers. I hope they can touch you a little bit. They touch me deeply.

Cherokee Prayer of thanks for a successful hunt.

Dear Great Spirit, thank you for another day on this beautiful green earth.. Thank you for the many blessings you have provided me in this life: the sun, the stars, the trees and grass, the sweet fresh breeze on my face. Thank You for sending this magnificent creature in to my life. Help him find his way to you and help me find the best in me, so that when I someday cross the river We may meet again, and again I may thrill to the sight of him!!!!

A Native American Prayer for strength in life.

Oh Great Spirit,
whose voice I hear in the winds,
and whose breath gives life to all the world -hear me-
I come before you, one of your children.
I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made, my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise, so that I may know the things you have taught my People.
The lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength not to be superior to my brothers,
but to be able to fight my greatest enemy, myself.
Make me ever ready to come to you,
with clean hands and straight eyes,
so when life fades as a fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

A Native American Prayer of giving.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough 'Hellos' to get you through the final 'Good-bye'.