New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Responds to Your Emails

New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Responds to Your Emails

TRENTON, NJ –-(Ammoland.com)- I received an overwhelming response to the “2011 NJ General Election and Your Legislators” action alert sent recently. I’d like to take a moment to respond to the many comments I’ve received.

Thanks to all of you that expressed appreciation for the format and the goal of educating and encouraging our legislators to become stewards of our environment by using the principle of conserving natural resources. This approach also makes clear the important role of anglers and hunters as custodians of the environment.

It also highlights the significance the NJOA axiom “Preservation through conservation.”

Almost every single email I received not only commented on the wisdom of using the above format but also expressed confusion about NJOA endorsements for 2011. I’m happy to explain.

Firstly, the NJOA has endorsed only one legislator for the 2011 General Election; Senator Donald Norcross. The process the NJOA uses for endorsing a candidate(s) is as follows:

1. Endorsement must be requested.
2. A review is made of the legislator’s voting record on bills regarding outdoors issues.
3. A review is also undertaken to determine whether the legislator demonstrates an understanding, appreciation, and pursuit of conservation of natural resources.

The 2011 NJ General Election and Your Legislators email sent yesterday (see link the follows: https://www.njoutdooralliance.org/njelections/legislators.html ) was not an endorsement. It highlighted those legislators that responded to the NJOA Questionnaire and are members of the New Jersey Angler and Hunter Conservation Caucus (NJAHCC). It gives you the opportunity to get more legislators involved in the issues important to you.

Generally speaking, the legislators responding positively to the Questionnaire, and/or participate in the NJACC, understand outdoors issues. They may not agree with the particulars of each of our positions, but they certainly understand the importance of the scope.

From the emails I’ve received, it would be short-sighted for any legislator to believe that anglers and hunters are not “on the ball” when it comes to their voting records. Every email singled out a legislator(s) action that did not square with his words. The emails also displayed an understanding for a legislator’s opposition on fringe issues, but were unforgiving on core issues such as the removal of fixed gear from the artificial reefs.

Again, the NJOA’s “2011 General Election and Your Legislators” is to be used as a guide. It displays the legislators that responded positively to the NJOA Questionnaire and/or are members of the NJAHCC. As grassroots activists, the guide gives you the opportunity to contact the legislators who haven’t responded and/or are not NJAHCC members and ask them to become involved in issues important to you.

It also gives you the opportunity to contact a legislator(s) and request that his or her actions match his words. We are fortunate to have a form of government that allows us to express ourselves and work to effect change, let’s exercise it to its fullest extent.

Again, here’s the link to “2011 General Election and Your Legislators”
www.njoutdooralliance.org/njelections/legislators

Thank you for helping to make New Jersey a conservation-minded state.

JOIN NJOA: https://www.njoutdooralliance.org/support/njoa.html

About:
NJOA – The mission of New Jersey Outdoor Alliance is to serve as a grassroots coalition of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen dedicated to environmental stewardship. We will champion the intrinsic value of natural resource conservation – including fishing, hunting and trapping, among opinion leaders and policy makers. We will support legislation, and those sponsoring legislation, that provides lasting ecological and social enrichment through sustainable use of the earths resources. Visit: www.njoutdooralliance.org