I have to laugh when supporters of the Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment say the proposal is going to improve access for hunters and anglers. They're forgetting one key thing about North Dakota: 95 percent of the land is privately owned.
That means the people responsible for North Dakota's robust hunting and fishing opportunities aren't the out-of-state environmental groups shoving this measure down our throats. North Dakota's farmers and ranchers are the reasons we have such great opportunities for sportsmen and women.
North Dakota's farmers and ranchers raise the wildlife and make it possible for many of us to enjoy our great outdoors. Otherwise, 95 percent of North Dakota would be off-limits. That doesn't leave much else.
The amendment supporters keep saying they'll use the fund to create new state parks. Well, guess what? Hunting isn't allowed in state parks, so I can't imagine creating new state parks is going to provide more access for hunters.
Even more important, when you look at the conservation groups backing this amendment, they are notoriously unfriendly to hunters in other states. The Nature Conservancy, which has dumped at least $237,000 into this campaign, prohibits hunting on all its lands. And Ducks Unlimited, the in-state face on this out-of-state measure, prohibits hunting unless you are a paying member of their organization.
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And that's really what this measure boils down to. It's not about increasing hunting and fishing opportunities. It's about getting North Dakota tax dollars so they can pay for employee salaries.
If anyone values North Dakota's outdoor hunting and fishing opportunities, they should stand with our state's farmers and ranchers, because those farmers and ranchers are the ones who make our outdoor recreation possible. And since every ag organization in the state opposes the conservation amendment, that's where I'll be. I urge others to do the same.
Editor's note: Rorvig is a resident of McVille, N.D.
