This week I did something that was a first for me. The State of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is considering changes to the state fishing regulations for 2013-2014. A couple of those proposals struck a chord with me. For the first time, I decided to add my voice to the democratic process… I wrote a letter stating my opinions on the changes (more precisely an email) to the regulations.
Now, I do vote. But this is the first time that I have participated in the public feedback process of any sort. I am not going to comment here on the regulations I wrote about or my opinion about them; as I am not interested in starting a debate. There is a healthy debate already going on the Nebraska Fish and Game Association forum. However, writing the letter brought me a lot of satisfaction.
With-in a day, I received a response from the Fisheries Program Outreach Manager, Daryl Bauer, thanking me for my feedback.
The democratic process is awesome; and being an active participant in it is a great feeling…
I am passionate about fly fishing, and therefore am passionate about protecting the fisheries that my sport depends on. That is actually why I have also started to volunteer my time at youth fishing tournaments… It provides me a method to give back to my hobby, and ensure that it is protected for my daughter to enjoy, her children, and all future generations.
Writing a letter is not a huge step… But it is a first step and those can often be the hardest ones to take. Finding those small steps that can get you started forward are the most important ones.
That is a lesson from fly fishing that I feel everyone can learn…
For those of you that live in Nebraska, you can go to Daryl Bauer’s blog, Barbs and Backlashes, to read the regulation changes. Like or don’t like what you see? Send him an email too…
Not all my readers fish… And not all live in Nebraska…
So I ask you, what are you passionate about?
Flies Over Nebraska 