Hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor recreational pursuits are deeply ingrained in the Maine way of life. But as a constituency, sportsmen are a small minority, and as such, a special interest. For many years, those interests have been represented in the state policy arena by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. By the clout-to-numbers ratio, SAM has been powerful and effective.
The face of SAM for 18 years was George Smith. Mr. Smith retired as executive director in May. His replacement is no longer with the organization, and now the top post is held by Matt Dunlap, who most recently was Maine’s secretary of state. Mr. Dunlap’s appointment is on an interim basis. The case can be made, though, that he would well serve the larger interests of the men and women who hunt and fish as a permanent executive director.
Mr. Smith was, for the most part, an effective lobbyist for SAM’s key issues before the Legislature. But at some point, he became a polarizing force in the State House, often wielding the implied leverage of turning his members, along with sportsmen and women who were sympathetic to SAM and gun rights advocates, against legislators who differed with his and SAM’s position on issues.
And Mr. Smith’s advocacy for SAM members often sought complete capitulation to his and SAM’s views; negotiating a compromise, conceding the other side’s position had merit or taking a pass on some fights were not in his playbook.
This is why Mr. Dunlap’s appointment is important. With each passing decade, fewer people hunt and fish. Whether it’s the encroachment of suburban sprawl, an economy whose jobs require long commutes and regular hours or a preference by younger adults for electronic entertainment, the hunting and fishing sector is diminishing. As a result, the clout SAM has over public policy is increasingly tenuous.
In many ways, this trend is to be mourned. A population that knows about animal and fish life cycles, habitat, ecosystems and understands how animals and fish become food is a wiser population. Losing the old skills, knowledge and traditions is regrettable.
With this in mind, SAM must focus on persuading people that the interests of sportsmen and sportswomen often coincide with the larger population. It also should consider focusing on empowering local hunting and fishing groups, which are in a better position to protect and enhance the environ-ment. And if it can encourage a new generation to set down the video games and venture into the fields and woods, it will have sustained itself and made a better, healthier Maine.
By most accounts, Mr. Dunlap, a former Democratic legislator who served as chairman of the Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, is poised to tackle these challenges.
George, Matt and SAM
