BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
There is irony in the fact that, because Anthony Mauro lives in Colts Neck, he is represented in the state by Assemblyman Michael Panter.
Mauro is an avid sportsman, an author and chairman of New Jersey's first pro-sportsmen political action committee (PAC), the newly formed New Jersey Outdoor Alliance. Panter, a Shrewsbury Democrat, is the prime sponsor of a bill (A-3275) that would significantly change the form and function of the state Fish and Game Council.
Although Panter disagrees, many hunters, anglers and trappers -- Mauro included -- believe the Panter bill is an assault on their lifestyle and a blatant attempt to politicize the management of New Jersey's wildlife. The bill was recently released from an Assembly committee.
Fighting such proposals is one of the Outdoor Alliance's missions. To Mauro, the battles the Alliance will fight are almost epic in scope. The month-old organization already has about 5,000 members and Mauro believes it is at the vanguard of a Garden State culture war.
"There's a loss of the hunting culture in New Jersey," he said. "The loss of that culture has made people lose touch with how dependent we are on the environment and of there being a balance in nature. Hunting, trapping and fishing help maintain that balance."
Mauro, a 52-year-old who has been hunting and fishing since he was 10, said the urbanization of New Jersey has created a widespread disconnect from nature. "Today, the culture is almost of the mind-set that food comes from the supermarket and water comes from the tap," he said.
Those who oppose sportsmen often see their activities as being barbaric or foolish. They scoff at the apparent hypocrisy: Sportsmen kill animals but claim to love the outdoors and its creatures.
But Mauro said the thrill of stalking animals and the satisfaction of providing one's own food is deeply ingrained and, in many ways, righteous and spiritual. Efforts to stop hunting disregard the harsh truth: Unless they are culled by people, game animals in a small, dense state can overpopulate and starve, destroying their own habitat and that of lesser animals before they do.
"If we remove hunting, fishing and trapping, Mother Nature is going to come in and do exactly what we were doing," said Mauro. "Except Mother Nature waits for the extreme."
In its mission statement, the Outdoor Alliance says it will "enhance and protect New Jersey's outdoor heritage" and "unite and mobilize outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen to further the practice of scientific management of fish and wildlife." The PAC says it "will guard against legal and legislative assaults on hunting, fishing, and trapping."
It takes money to fight a culture war and, unlike the many other sportsmen organizations in the state, the Outdoor Alliance, being a PAC, is allowed to raise money to contribute to political campaigns.
"The N.J.O.A. will support those legislators, and the advancement of legislation, that endorse or promote the outdoor experience," says the PAC's Web site (
www.njoutdooralliance.org).
Fred Aun may be reached at
outdoors@starledger.com