Hunting & Fishing Groups Call On Congress For Action On Climate - Arizona Republic

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WASHINGTON - Anglers say trout and salmon are moving upstream looking for colder water. Duck hunters say the prairie potholes where ducklings hatch are drying up. And game hunters say moose populations are migrating north. Many of these outdoor enthusiasts blame it on global warming. Now, they are lobbying Congress to protect their favorite pastimes.

Nearly 700 hunting, fishing and sporting groups, including several from Arizona, recently sent letters urging lawmakers to support a bill to curb the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change. These are not your typical environmentalists, but they are increasingly interested in environmental issues.

"The hunting and angling community is becoming more aware of global climate change and the problems associated with that, especially how it affects fish and wildlife," said Rod Mondt, who lives in Tucson and works as a conservation-lands coordinator for Trout Unlimited. "They see it more readily because they're out in the field more." By taking on global warming, outdoor enthusiasts join a diverse group of activists, from evangelical Christians to farmers, clamoring for legislative action on climate change.

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Jason Williams, 31, a firefighter from Prescott, worries about the drought that is killing the ponderosa pines and could affect the state's big-game herds. He says he already has noticed effects of global warming in his native Illinois, where he would go ice-fishing while growing up. "Nowadays, you're lucky if the lakes freeze in the winter," he said. Williams, who used to work for the Arizona Wilderness Coalition, hunts for elk, duck and quail and likes to fish for trout. An independent, he says hunters and anglers have a better chance than many environmentalists of swaying Republican lawmakers. "It makes a big difference if Republicans are hearing from what they consider to be their base," he said.

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http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0221enviro-hunters0221.html