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DENTRY: Group rides herd on feds

Published August 22, 2007 at midnight

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They said it couldn't be done - that trying to rally hunters and anglers to defend their treasured wildlife heritage would be like herding cats.

Then, in 2000, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Alliance was born in Missoula, Mont., to remind Americans that being conservative means being a conservationist.

Renamed the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the group embraced other sporting groups, manufacturers and individual members. Now it has become an actual, organized cat herd.

Members include conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, BASS, Pheasants Forever, American Sportfishing Association, Federation of Fly Fishers and gun manufacturers Beretta U.S.A. and Sturm Ruger. Others are listed on TRCP's Web site, TRCP.org.

TRCP describes itself as "a coalition of organizations and individual grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing."

It has fought the Bush administration's attempts to sell off 273,000 acres of national forest lands. It opposed fragmentation of wildlife habitat by road building in national forest roadless areas.

Lately, its primary mission has been to defend the public's property in the face of unbridled energy development, particularly on U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands.

The TRCP's most recent victory came last week, when the BLM announced it would back off leasing 42 parcels of land in Utah for oil and gas drilling.

The TRCP had protested 29 of those parcels because they held valuable wildlife habitat.

In a time when relentless habitat destruction is politically correct, that was something of a miracle. Imagine the BLM calling for directional drilling to save the last natural tip of the Roan Plateau from roads, rigs and pipelines.

Inspired by similar successes in recent months, the TRCP sued the Department of Interior on Friday for approving 1,000 miles of roads and 1,000 miles of pipeline along Wyoming's Atlantic Rim, in violation of environmental laws.

The TRCP says the BLM failed to evaluate, as required by law, development alternatives that would foster multiple use, including hunting and fishing.

In its own evaluation, the BLM admitted "the natural setting would be converted to an industrialized setting by development" for multiple generations.

The TRCP says the BLM also failed to analyze the cumulative impacts of the Atlantic Rim project with nearby expanded development.

Now that the cats are herded up, they might even save some of Colorado before hunting and fishing are doomed on public lands.

E-STAMPS ON HOLD: Electronic purchases of federal duck stamps are in the offing for several states, but Colorado plans to hold off until January.

For two years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been preparing a pilot program that will sell the $15 stamps to hunters and collectors through the states' automated licensing programs.

The states are Colorado, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Texas and Wisconsin. The e-stamp sales are scheduled to start Sept. 1.

However, Colorado officials say they won't be selling the stamps online or at license agents until next year. Henrietta Turner, the Division of Wildlife's licensing supervisor, said that's because of possible computer conflicts with big-game license sales under way.

When the program starts, hunters will be issued blue permit slips similar to state licenses. The actual federal duck stamp will be mailed later.

Fishing hot spot: White River

• Why here? The river is low and clear and offers miles of good, relatively uncrowded fishing for rainbow and brown trout in northwestern Colorado.

• What's hot: The hopper season is in full swing. Trout are rising to grasshopper-imitating dry flies.

• Fly box: Dave's Hoppers, yellow Humpies, bead-head Prince Nymphs, Copper Johns and Pheasant Tails.

• Best times: Mornings have been best.

• How to get there: From Denver, travel west on Interstate 70 to Rifle. Head north on Colorado 13 to Meeker. From Meeker, go east on Rio Blanco County Road 8, which parallels the river.

• Ask the experts: Wyatt's Sports Center in Meeker, 970-878-4428.

• Fishing report: For the Colorado Division of Wildlife's complete fishing report, visit Rocky MountainNews.com/fishing