Here is a great letter from a resident that I wanted to make public on Minister Morton’s Hunting Day.  I would love to see some feedback on this.

Dear Dr Swann:
 
The Alberta Government advertised its inaugural Provincial Hunting Day (September 22) under the banner “Improving Albertans’ quality of life”. Aren’t bears and moose Albertans?
I gave Provincial Hunting Day a miss this year. I was too busy pulling the wings off flies. Wing pulling is a time-honoured tradition in my family. At least, it will be if I can teach my grandchildren how to do it. It will instil in them a greater appreciation for nature and a new respect for wildlife. I call it an act of mercy–most of the flies would not live through the winter, anyway.
Ted Morton, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, prefers to “build greater respect for wildlife” at the point of a gun, but each to his own. This is Alberta, after all.
“Hunting also helps with reducing vehicle collisions.” The number of flies smearing car windshields has dropped significantly since I started taking their wings away. We mustn’t have nasty pests soiling our precious cars, after all.
“Big game hunting contributes more than $100 million annually to the provincial economy.” My phone is already ringing off the hook. American sportsmen are just itching to come up here and catch flies. Call it a growth industry.
“Hunting and hunters play an important role in wildlife management and conservation.” Who can argue? Buffalo once roamed the western plains in their millions. Passenger pigeons darkened the skies. Hats off to hunters for reducing their numbers to something more manageable.
“Hunters and hunting organizations work very hard to preserve natural areas and important wildlife habitat.” Just think of all the lead shot water fowl ingest, and what a world of good it does them. Look at all the trash our noble sportsmen leave behind. If you could unsnarl all the fishing line that’s out there and stretch it out end to end, we could reach the stars. If there are any extra-terrestrial creatures in the great beyond, watch out! Mr Morton has set his sights on you too.
Just one question, Mr Morton. If every Albertan goes out this weekend and bags a moose, how many does that leave?
If there are too many deer, perhaps it’s because we killed off their predators. If the government wants to address chronic wasting disease, put an end to game farming. If it wants to protect wildlife, stop destroying their habitats.
Trophy hunting, in particular, is fundamentally contrary to nature. It weakens the species. Disease and predators take the sick and the weak. Trophy hunters take the biggest and strongest.
Human beings are now presiding over the greatest extinction in earth history. The hunting lobby, now front and centre in the Legislature, would have us believe that wildlife cannot flourish without their aid.
Are we stewards of the earth or mere tyrants?

Sincerely,

Geoffrey Pounder