PROTECTING
WILD ALASKA around the country and the lasting results of helping ensure the future of fish and wildlife for our kids to enjoy. I value our long-standing interactions with federal and state agencies, which validates our national objectives. I have made many friends over the years and experienced the wonders of the outdoors with dedicated individuals. Together we are reaching the American public – kids and adults – with conservation education. That has become the core value of Wildlife Forever, building stewardship through conservation education.
CC What was one of the most compelling and significant issues with invasive species that you’ve had to deal with during your tenure? DG Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to our outdoor heritage today. A dozen years ago, a friend with
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the U.S. Forest Service asked if we could place an ad in sportsmen magazines about invasive species. I have to admit I was surprised. Invasive species? Well, we did it and I learned a lot. We labeled the ad, Wanted: Dead, Not Alive. With that ad came a national program, the Clean Drain Dry Initiative. Our focus has always been outreach to hunters, anglers, boaters and all recreational users in the battle to stop invasive species. Over the years, the campaign has successfully reached a targeted outdoors recreational audience with billions of impressions. We created an extraordinary partnership of federal, state, Native American tribes, professional angling circuits, NGOs, many lake associations and corporate partners; all are working together under the leadership of Wildlife Forever. As a group of hunters and anglers, we have fostered communications and coordination through outreach and education among a diverse array of partners. As for the biggest invasive species threat, I feel it is zebra mussels. The
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curse is spreading across America and no cure is known. They affect my fishing, my boat and motor; plus they wreak havoc with gear. Keep in mind that invasive species differ by location, but all are huge threats.
CC You’ve preached to anglers and hunters to take such precautions as washing down boats and checking boots and other articles of clothing when leaving a lake or wilderness area. How critical is it of us as anglers and hunters to practice that? DG Invasive species may be the No. 1 threat of our outdoor heritage. The silent invaders are damaging fishing, destroying habitat, devastating the aquatic food chain, impeding navigation, and costing the American public millions of dollars annually. I have seen zebra mussels clear lake water and alter the food web, other lakes with major algae blooms, mats of hydrilla so thick you cannot launch your boat and, perhaps worst, the closure of public access. Wildlife Forever has been leading the charge to stop the spread of invasive species for 12 years now. Everyone is