Kudos and appreciation should go to Ben Bulis, president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association for his recent contribution to the White House Blog titled “Growing Our Economy Through the Great Outdoors.” In his piece, he points out how President Obama has proposed a $450 investment in the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has traditionally received bipartisan support as it protects public forests, parks and rivers.
“(W)e understand the importance of protecting our public lands and fostering the economic contributions of outdoor enthusiasts. Manufacturers and retailers of fly-fishing products are not looking for a handout. What we envision is our Nation’s leaders working together to protect the public lands where citizens can use our products and ensure future generations have the same opportunities to recreate as we do today. We should all be able to agree that protecting the public’s access to the outdoors now and for future generations is not only common sense, but also the ideal job creator,” wrote Bulis.
The same message was echoed in a guest commentary at denverpost.com.
In my opinion, this is exactly the kind of out-front advocacy that manufacturers and retailers need from AFFTA.
K. Deeter
