Conservatives And Conservation

Traditionally conservative sportsfolks are concentrated in states crucial to the candidates' electoral fortunes, and unlike many conservatives, they take conservation seriously -- so Kerry thinks he can snag a few, and Bush is in full pander mode. The president gave his only full interview in recent months to Field and Stream magazine, backed away from some plans to drill in the Rocky Mountains, and rescinded a proposal that would have reduced the acreage of protected wetlands. For his part, Kerry went goose hunting. Oh yeah, and voted consistently in favor of environmental protections for 20 years in the Senate.

"The word 'environment' was scarcely mentioned in the three presidential debates and polls show that environmental issues barely register in the litany of concerns likely to sway presidential voters.

But a fierce if quiet struggle is being fought for the support of hunters, anglers and conservationists, and it is being waged from the pages of Field & Stream magazine to the strategy sessions of the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters."

Thanks to Grist Magazine