Post by djkimmel on Aug 19, 2004 20:25:57 GMT -5
I expected a lot more anglers at the meeting last night in Chesterfield practically on Anchor Bay. Regardless, there were 21 people there with one being a reporter from the Detroit News, 2 were from the 'Lake St. Clair Advisory' group - a group that is apparently disbanding and has only 8 members, and the rest were our guys. Once again, we were the clear majority.
A real puzzle to me is these few guys who have debated me off and on over the past couple of years are not showing up at all at any of these meetings. I really am surprised by that. I guess it was more me than the bass season they were upset about.
We had the two co-authors at the meeting last night. Gary Towns is obviously stone cold set in his opinion about us losing 3 to 4 weeks of our season for guesses and unproven possibilities, and he apparently can't grasp that we just don't concede to their 'wisdom' and give in like the dumb angling public we should be.
I actually thought he understood us some for as long as I've known him, but as Bob Gwizdz said, apparently (he) they just don't get it. I was not surprised by the other person - Ms. Bremigan - she seemed like a non-outdoors person. Could be wrong, but I got the impression she was a classroom 'outdoors' person.
I truly think a clear message we must send throughout this process is that the MDNR needs to change how they do things. They MUST begin to work with the interested public at a much earlier time than they have here. I don't enjoy some of the frustration and anger at these meetings any more than they do, but you reap what you sow.
Other states work from darn near the beginning of a process like this and I get the distinct impression they don't have as many hot meetings as the MDNR almost always has. This catch-and-release process started that way back in the 1980s before the MDNR adopted their 'hands-off' policy on bass tournaments. It should have been that way this time. They have handled this process very poorly and have done some things such as misuse the Coolwater External Committee that don't even match their normal modus operandi.
NEXT MEETING: for me is tomorrow night (Friday) up at Jay's Sporting Goods in Clare 7PM. Sounds like we will have some support there too.
A real puzzle to me is these few guys who have debated me off and on over the past couple of years are not showing up at all at any of these meetings. I really am surprised by that. I guess it was more me than the bass season they were upset about.
We had the two co-authors at the meeting last night. Gary Towns is obviously stone cold set in his opinion about us losing 3 to 4 weeks of our season for guesses and unproven possibilities, and he apparently can't grasp that we just don't concede to their 'wisdom' and give in like the dumb angling public we should be.
I actually thought he understood us some for as long as I've known him, but as Bob Gwizdz said, apparently (he) they just don't get it. I was not surprised by the other person - Ms. Bremigan - she seemed like a non-outdoors person. Could be wrong, but I got the impression she was a classroom 'outdoors' person.
I truly think a clear message we must send throughout this process is that the MDNR needs to change how they do things. They MUST begin to work with the interested public at a much earlier time than they have here. I don't enjoy some of the frustration and anger at these meetings any more than they do, but you reap what you sow.
Other states work from darn near the beginning of a process like this and I get the distinct impression they don't have as many hot meetings as the MDNR almost always has. This catch-and-release process started that way back in the 1980s before the MDNR adopted their 'hands-off' policy on bass tournaments. It should have been that way this time. They have handled this process very poorly and have done some things such as misuse the Coolwater External Committee that don't even match their normal modus operandi.
NEXT MEETING: for me is tomorrow night (Friday) up at Jay's Sporting Goods in Clare 7PM. Sounds like we will have some support there too.