THERE have been changes on the Mid- Atlantic Regional Fisheries Management Council that could be looked at as anti-fishing.
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced the appointment of four new members to the council, three of whom have connections to environmental groups including Pew Charitable Trusts and Environmental Defense, according to the Recreational Fishing Alliance.
“Through policy and appointments, the Obama Administration is advancing an anti-fishing agenda consistent with groups like Pew, Environmental Defense Fund, Ocean Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Marine Fish Conservation Network,” said Jim Hutchinson Jr., managing director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance.
“President Obama appointed a Pew Scholar to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is the lead federal agency with authority over marine fisheries, and at least two other former Pew staffers have also been hired to work at NOAA on national fisheries matters. In this administration’s first appointments to the fishery management councils nationwide, four environmentalists with direct ties to Pew were awarded seats within the regional councils.”
The new members officially begin their three-year terms in August and will be sworn in at the Oct. 13-15 meeting in Ocean City, Md.
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New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation will be offering one of its very popular Becoming an Outdoorswoman workshops Sept. 18-20 at the Silver Bay YMCA on Lake George.
Becoming an Outdoorswoman is a program that offers weekend-long, outdoor skills workshops for women ages 18 or older, and is designed for women with little or no experience with outdoor activities.
Nearly 40 different classes will be offered at the Silver Bay workshop. These include canoeing, fishing, kayaking, shotgun shooting, GPS, wilderness camping, turkey hunting, day hiking, wilderness first aid, and survival skills. Women can even earn a Hunter or Trapper Safety Education certificate.
The registration fee is $120 covers instruction in four classes, program materials and use of equipment. It does not include meals and lodging at Silver Bay.
Workshop information and registration materials are available at dec.ny.gov and by calling the DEC at (518) 402-8862.