Outdoorsmen leap into the political fray to get a point across

[JohnWester]

In case anyone missed this article.

Sen. Dean Johnson doesn't think conservation issues carry much weight at election time, but some determined environmental activists think otherwise.
Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune
Last update: August 03, 2006 ? 11:32 PM

When Sen. Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, pulled the plug on negotiations last spring that could have put a ballot question to voters this fall, asking them whether they wanted to improve conservation in Minnesota, he said too few people cared one way or the other to affect anyone's election, or re-election, in November.
At issue was a plan to amend the state constitution and dedicate a fraction of the state sales tax to land and water stewardship. Although they passed both houses, competing bills had stalled in a conference committee until, after the session, Johnson, the majority leader, and House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, met to resolve the impasse.

Which is when Johnson picked up his marbles and went home.

Johnson is no dummy, and in Kandiyohi County that's been enough to keep him in the Legislature. A summer spent waving from parade floats, cheering on the Twins and mouthing continually the words "ethanol" and "biodiesel" likely will be enough to earn him a return trip to St, Paul come January.

But alas, other people in the state also are not dummies.

Garry Leaf is one; he's a self-employed computer jock. John Merritt, a Twin Cities writer, is another. Also there are Dave Zentner, the retired Duluth insurance exec, and Lance Ness, a swimming pool builder.

These last two led the coalition of hunters, anglers and environmentalists who have gathered on the Capitol Mall the past two Aprils to protest the Legislature's complicity, if only through inaction, in the willy-nilly and now long-standing degradation of the state's woods, waters and prairies.

And while Johnson seems to be betting that parade-route platitudes and a pulse will be enough this summer to keep his hand on the Senate joystick next winter, Leaf, Merritt, Zentner and Ness have plans of their own.

Leaf and some pals, all of whom were part of the "Duck Rally" at the Capitol this spring and last, have branched out into somewhat more activist roles. For starters, they have floated a new website, www.sportsmenforchange.org. Also they have organized as a political action committee, or PAC, focusing its feebly financed (so far) sights on pols such as Johnson.

"Hey, we're no dummies," Leaf said, noting his group will have a booth at Game Fair beginning next week. "We know a few thousand bumper stickers in Kandiyohi County, a billboard or two, a newspaper article here or there and maybe a protest rally won't be enough to defeat Johnson.

"But we'll get our message out."

A PAC differs from a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization such as Ducks Unlimited in that it can endorse candidates, contribute to campaigns and otherwise join in the rumble-tumble of an election year.

"We did this because it's perfectly clear to us that there is no accountability for legislators on the issues that matter to us, our natural resources," Leaf said. "The Duck Rally and its group are great. Conservation and environmental groups are great.

"But we intend to stir things up."

So does John Merritt.

Merritt was -- and, like Leaf, still is -- a part of the Duck Rally coalition. And he recognizes the coalition must operate in the silver-tongued halls of the Capitol as a bit of a silver tongue itself: straight if not altogether proper, bipartisan if not altogether impartial.

"But I think some people want to be more blunt about these issues," Merritt said. "And given that the coalition [website: www.wetlandsrally.org] has to be middle-of-the-road so often, there's room for another outlet."

Which explains why this week Merritt went live with a blog -- www.thepeaveypole. typepad.com -- devoted to Minnesota conservation issues, the dedicated funding idea, to be sure.

But also more.

"I really get the feeling a lot of sportsmen are taking the easy way out and not participating in these issues," Merritt said. "That's one theme I'll return to. You live in a democracy. If you want something to change, you have to participate. Otherwise it ain't gonna happen."

Finally, there is the no-dummy duo of Zentner and Ness. Radicals? Maybe not. But they're smart, experienced and persistent, even dogged, and they've held the hunter/angler/environmentalist Duck Rally coalition together through challenging times.

Now they're planning a September retreat for rally leaders to map out a new legislative strategy, one they believe will bust up, sooner rather than later, Minnesota's conservation logjam and give voice to the millions of Minnesotans who -- contrary to what Sen. Johnson might believe -- are themselves not dummies.

And who care very much about sustaining our woods, waters and fields.


Dennis Anderson danderson@startribune.com

[Iceberg]

Here is the interview I did with the local paper about my work with Sportsmen for Change.

We also stood along highway 71 with "DUMP" Dean Johnson signs the day of Prairie Pothole Days.

My Avitar is the picture the paper used in the article



[b]City man ?dedicated? to change in environmental funding[/b]

Carver County News, Watertown, MN Thursday Sept 7th
By John Mueller, Editor

Dan Berg is not a political person. The Watertown man doesn?t spend much time delving into the details of candidates? platforms hasn?t spent time researching voting records. The closest he came to a campaign was helping his grandfather and uncle when they made separate bids for county sheriff in a western Minnesota county. He works hard, takes care of his business.
But there is an issue that has Berg, 48, and thousands of out-doorsmen and women like him involved. Among outdoorsmen, it?s called ?dedicated funding.? Among lawmakers, it?s a far more complicated topic.
Outdoorsmen want a portion of the state?s sales tax ? one?eighth of 1 percent -- dedicated to cleaning up polluted wetlands and repairing wetlands that have been compromised or damaged. They want the commitment to be constitutionally dedicated for 25 years, a period that will raise $90 million annually toward benefiting wetlands around the state. The group believes that too many wetlands around the state have been lost to pollution and draining for agricultural purposes. Berg believes the loss of wetlands and clean lakes and rivers has resulted in the migratory flyway for ducks shifting to the west.
Berg has joined a political action committee (PAC) known as Sportsmen for Change. The group, at least for now, is working to make sure citizens know about the dedicated funding proposal.
The bill that would place the constitutionally dedicated funding proposal on the ballot for voter approval almost became a reality during the past session, Both the House and Senate approved versions of the proposal. The differences in the two versions were to he hammered out in a House-Senate conference committee at the end of the session as leaders of both bodies and Gov. Tim Pawlenty scrambled to try and avoid yet another special session. The Republican-controlled House and the DFL-controlled Senate could not reach an accord. Berg and Sportsmen for Change blame Sen. Dean Johnson, president of the Senate, for killing the dedicated funding proposal by refusing to consider any legislation that included dedicated funding. Johnson said he supported the proposal, but then killed it.
But the issue is perhaps a bit more complicated. Rep. Paul Kohl (R-Victoria), an advocate of dedicated funding for wildlife, said the issue was snarled in requests from the arts community for dedicated funding. Some people wanted the funding to come from existing tax revenue while others wanted to take it from revenue generated by new taxes, something the House and Pawlenty rejected.
In the end, unable to agree on a plan to bring to the conference committee that might stand a chance of being accepted, Johnson and the Senate DFL leadership, agreed to pull the dedicated funding plan off the table.
Berg says Sportsmen for Change is not affiliated with any political party. With the entirety of the House and Senate up for re-election this fall, Sportsmen for Change is also supporting candidates challenger or incumbent ? that support dedicated funding for the environment.
But the group is taking its proposal to the masses. The group has created a Web site- www. sportsmenforchange.org - promoting the dedicated funding issue. The site will carry the names of candidates that have signed on to support the dedicated funding cause. Sportsmen for Change also plans to raise public awareness through an informational campaign later in the fall. It is accepting contributions from anyone willing to give.
The group hopes to force the Senate and House to come to an agreement on the dedicated funding question. The grassroots group also brought its message to Game Fair, the celebration of all things outdoors held last month at Armstrong Ranch in Anoka. Berg said the group was well-received at the event.
Berg believes the duck population has decreased and its migratory patterns are also moving away from Minnesota because of the loss of ample, clean wetlands. As a boy, he fondly recalls hunting trips near Glencoe and Glenwood, a small town south of Alexandria.
?A lot of the land I used to hunt on, you can?t hunt there anymore,? he said.
Kohl says the dedicated funding effort will likely not come up as a constitutional issue until 2008. In the meantime, Berg says he?ll continue doing his part to raise awareness of an issue that is near and dear to his heart. The group is planning an Orange Hat Brigade rally before a gubernatorial debate Sept. 16 in St. Cloud. He?s urging people interested in the outdoors to check out Sportsmen for Change?s Web site for more information.
?It just makes sense. Who doesn?t want (clean) wetlands, lakes and rivers,? Berg said. ?1 just don?t understand why it can?t pass.




I will post more info about what is going to happen as soon as I get the OK.....

[JohnWester]

thanks for the insight iceberg.

[Iceberg]

Volunteers are welcome,

We will probably have to ask some of the people to give up one weekend day of duckhunting to possibly do a one day door to door outing. 

If you are from Johnson's district, or if your not, and want to volunteer, let me know, I will get back to you.