{"id":23071,"date":"2023-06-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everest.com\/everestdigest\/\/?p=23071"},"modified":"2025-10-08T02:53:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T07:53:53","slug":"reconnecting-rivers-to-reconnect-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everest.com\/everestdigest\/reconnecting-rivers-to-reconnect-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Reconnecting Rivers to Reconnect America"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The Biden-Harris Administration has recently put major investments into water and land conservation, making it easier and more exciting for hunters and fisherman across the nation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I\u2019d like to take a moment to thank and highlight the work that hunters and fishers do for conservation. First, to be allowed to catch fish or hunt deer, you must start with obtaining a license. These licenses vary in each state, but in Florida, \u201cthe fishing capital of the world,\u201d there are a handful of options. You can get a 5-year saltwater or freshwater license ($79.00), or an annual combination pack ($32.50). Similarly, in 2022, Wisconsin issued the most licenses, tags, permits, and stamps for hunting. This is slightly more complicated, as there are different restrictions and prices for different animals. The Department of the Interior states that all money collected must be directed towards conservation, specifically fish and wildlife management. Although the prices and logistics change for these licenses in each state, they all go to the same place: conservation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I\u2019ve seen a few debates about how humans have brought disaster upon the environment to such an extreme that we shouldn\u2019t be allowed in these natural spaces anymore, that we should let them thrive without us. I\u2019ve also seen that many large corporations decide to exist anthropologically separate from nature, instead of working with it. The food industry, specifically the meat and dairy realms, take advantage of animals to increase corporate dollars. It seems as though many people have forgotten that we should exist within nature, be part of it, and positively contribute to it. Hunters add to the food chain, displaying the important role of controlled human behavior, simply based on personal need. When we can add to the food chain in a natural way, we can greatly assist in population control and growth of animals. If I wasn\u2019t allowed to hunt deer in my home state of Minnesota, populations would get out of hand and would destroy bountiful amounts of crops which are food fuel to other animal populations. Animal diseases would also increase and spread more quickly, ultimately leading to lower populations and less diversity amongst other plants and animals. When operating respectfully, rather than taking advantage of nature and its resources, humans are an important part of this space.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

When I recently saw the investments being pushed towards public lands and river restoration, I was thrilled for the chain events which are to follow. What I love about these recent investments is that they truly bring together both sides of the political spectrum. They can please the democrats by flowing more money towards environmental protection, but they also benefit the outdoor sportsmen, who are typically more conservative. These fresh investments have been made with bipartisan effort and through reconnecting rivers we are reconnecting America.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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