(Part two of a two-part column)
In my column last week, I said that I have always tried to show respect for nature. I mentioned the fond memories I have of fishing as a kid and the many hours I spent with my father, talking and learning about the wonders of nature.
I tried to impart the sense of joy I derive from just sitting out in my boat, watching the dragonflies buzz in and out among the reeds and the simple pleasure I get from listening to songbirds or watching an osprey soar high in the sky above.
I tried to convey the sense of loneliness I feel when I hear the cry of a loon as it calls out across the lake and the sense of wonder I feel as I watch the seasons change, or look up to observe flocks of ducks or geese make their way across the autumn sky. In effect, I tried to explain the love I have of nature and the respect I feel for it.
I also said that I believe there is a disconnect between young people and nature. One which will not and cannot be mended unless we provide opportunities for young people to experience nature.
Of McGuire Lake, I said that it should not be about stocking fish or not stocking fish or fishing or not fishing, but rather about providing a tangible opportunity for young people to experience and learn about nature – and, in so doing, come to respect nature.
As for the painted turtles in McGuire Lake. They are an integral part of the McGuire Lake experience. I have watched them, photographed them and simply stood and admired them many, many times.
There is a peaceful tranquility to turtles sunning themselves on a log that somehow draws me back to the summers of my youth. And I guess that is my point. Turtles and their attraction to kids is a part of what things like warm, sunny summer afternoons are all about.
I have also tried to explain, both in my column and upon those occasions when I have witnessed young anglers catching turtles with their hooks, that in catching turtles they harming them and not showing respect for nature. For most it is a lesson learned.
As for catching fish in McGuire Lake, let me start by saying that the lake is unique, only in that it is accessible and exists right in the centre of town where all can enjoy.
City council has already given its approval for the Fish and Wildlife branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to stock sterile rainbow trout in the lake in order to provide an opportunity for kids to fish.
Whether some people agree with this decision or not, it has been made. So why not let it be?
As to Mr. Crowley’s question (in his letter to the editor) about how I can claim to respect nature and yet not show that same respect to fish.
I do not feel that the quality of my respect for nature is diminished by the fact that I enjoy fishing. For me, the actual process of catching of fish is but a small part of the whole fishing/outdoor experience.
I do not take it lightly that by catching a fish and eating it, I am also taking a life.
So why then do I fish?
I can only answer by saying that when I am in my boat, casting a line, talking politics and poetry with my dog, I feel like there is a balance to my life – not at all dissimilar to the balance of nature, where individual creatures live and die and nature itself is continuously reborn.
Let me conclude by saying this to Mr. Crowley.There is always room for you in my boat.
I know we would certainly enjoy some intelligent conversation. You wouldn’t even have to fish – just as long as you are willing to row.