By Bob Marshall

House Votes to Allow Weaker Ballast Discharges

Sportsmen and others concerned about the rising tide of invasive species lost a round to the shipping industry recently when the House voted to order the Environmental Protection Agency to use weaker ballast discharge standards established by that industry in setting new nationwide rules.

Shipping ballast is known to have delivered dozens of invasives that have taken a heavy toll on fisheries and wildlife across the nation. States have been moving independently to stop the invasion, with 29 passing rules requiring strict cleaning and inspection of ballast. And the EPA is in the process of establishing nation-wide standards following a federal court ruling that made ballast and other water discharged form ships subject to regulations under the Clean Water Act.
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By David Draper

I hope most of you were smart enough to avoid the insanity that has become Black Friday, and instead did something productive the day after Thanksgiving, like go hunting or watch college football. I did a little of both, managing to get a couple of pheasants and rooting for my beloved Big Red in their end-of-season win over Iowa.

Truth is, I wouldn’t have gone shopping even if I’d had the store to myself—that’s how much I dread that part of the holiday season. Still, Christmas will be here before you know it, and there are gifts that need to be bought. So, to make things a bit easier on all of us, I’ve put together a quick list of great gift ideas any Wild Chef would be happy to see under the tree.
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By David Draper

I have to say, last week’s Camp Chef Turkey Cannon contests were successful, not only in whetting our appetites for this Thursday’s festivities, but also in providing some great new ideas; including bacon-wrapped green bean bundles and a time-tested stuffing recipe from one reader’s Grandma. So thanks to all the Wild Chef readers who participated and congratulations to our four, randomly-selected winners:

FOX, smccardell, Arlo269, and wignoz.
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By Bob Marshall

$615 Million Cut from Conservation

Sportsmen got a sneak preview of how much Congress values their issues earlier this week, and it wasn't pretty: House and Senate appropriators agreed to cut $615 million from key fish and wildlife conservation programs that support public hunting and fishing--not to mention the overall quality of human health.

The cuts were contained in the 2012 “minibus” spending bill, so-called because it will only keep the government running another four weeks, rather than a regular "omnibus" spending bill which would have provided funding through the end of the fiscal year. 

Among the drastic cuts announced:

• Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program cut by $35 million.

• Wetlands Reserve Program cut by approximately $200 million.
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By Chad Love

A good, sharp knife is perhaps the most basic item in any kit I carry to the field, regardless of whether I'm training or hunting. And since knives are one of those items that tend to last forever (if you take care of them) and someday get passed down to your children, I firmly believe it's better to spend more money buying a single quality knife than to buy a bunch of the cheap crap. So, when it came time for me to invest in a new small game knife to carry while bird and duck hunting, I decided to go with a custom maker. 
 

Charles May is a Mississippi-based custom knife maker who makes blades of superlative beauty, toughness and function. I first discovered Charles May several years ago while looking for a new big-game knife. I kept hearing praises about his knives from hunters across the country. When I got my first knife, I knew exactly why; they are masterpieces of elegant simplicity. I've been carrying one of Charles’ big-game knives for three years now, and decided to complement it with one of Charlie's exquisitely made bird and trout knives. The new knife has been on my belt since early September and it is every bit as good as I thought it would be.

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By Bob Marshall

Let the Super Committee Hear from You

Sportsmen who care about the future of their traditions have an important job over the next week: Let the congressional Super Committee on the budget know that more cuts in conservation programs will only increase the deficit, not lower it.

The Super Committee is the bi-partisan group charged with outlining $1.2 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade by Nov. 23rd. Failure to agree would trigger automatic cuts of the same amount, most of which would come out of defense and domestic spending. Congress already has cut conservation spending by 30 percent earlier this year, putting vital fish and wildlife programs on the edge of collapse.

Conservation groups fear the Super Committee is considering even more damage--but they worry those automatic cuts could be just as severe. The frustrating thing is that, as mentioned in many previous posts here, conservation spending actually turns a profit for the nation's treasury. So it's time for sportsmen to contact their congressional delegations and tell them "Hands off of conservation funding.” You can find out who your reps are, and how to contact them here.
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