Do the 'write' thing and perhaps save a park

Already weathering what seems to be a continuous barrage of political
controversy surrounding issues that impact hunting and fishing in New Jersey --
primarily fights over bear hunting and efforts to change the state Fish and Game
Council -- sportsmen are now faced with the proposed closure of state parks.

Lovers of the outdoors can't fathom the logic behind the plan offered by
state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson. She said
she presented her budget to Gov. Jon Corzine and told him what was needed and
how cuts would impact the different DEP divisions.

Jackson said Corzine's staff, on a mission to trim the state budget, decided
the DEP's share would come from closing nine state parks.

It's a story that has been all over the print, broadcast and online media,
and you'd be hard-pressed to find many people, including politicians, who
support the park closures.

Deep down inside, many sportsmen believe the plan will be scuttled before
its proposed July activation, given the outrage it already has stirred. But
that's not a good enough reason to refrain from sending off a protest letter (or
a bunch of them).

Somewhat dimmer on the up-in-arms radar screen, but still worth a piece of
paper or a click of the mouse, is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal
to expand the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge which lies in Sussex
County and Orange County, N.Y.

There USFWS has extended, until Wednesday the deadline for submitting
comments about the plan. Anthony Mauro, chairman of the hunter- and angler-friendly
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA), is urging sportsmen to take advantage of
the extended comment period for the so-called Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment.

The alliance hopes sportsmen will support the USFWS's "Alternate B" proposal
for the refuge, a plan that upset some anti-hunting groups because it calls
for allowing black bear hunts if they ever become legal again in New Jersey.

"The Alternate 'B' Plan will expand the refuge an additional 9,550 acres and
support maximizing hunting and fishing throughout the refuge," said Mauro in
an e-mail to those on the NJOA's mailing list. He urged sportsmen to send
e-mails in support of Alternate B to USFWS Planning Team Leader Beth Goldstein
at _northeastplanning@fws.gov_ (mailto:northeastplanning@fws.gov) .

In what could be seen as an effort to make the letter-writing as easy as
possible (perhaps because there are so many stocked trout waiting to be caught
this week), Mauro even included some verbiage that can be cut-and-pasted.

In part, the suggested text says the expansion of the refuge as outlined in
Alternate B "together with a more pro-active management approach, provides
tremendous opportunities for wetland restoration, the establishment of grassland
focus areas and the expansion of early successional habitat."

The refuge currently covers about 5,000 acres along the Wallkill River.
Under its enabling authorization, the refuge is slated to be 7,500 acres. The
expansion plan calls for making it up to 17,000.

The USFWS said it will not use eminent domain or otherwise force landowners
within the prospective expansion footprint to sell their property. It says,
however, that securing the extra acres is vital for the well-being of the
area's wildlife.