Big Fin, Others Receive BHA Awards
- Thread starter Ben Long
- Start date
Thanks for the kind comments. Poz is one of those special people that influences your view of hunting and conservation with a single conversation. Years of collaborating with him and over a dozen years on his Board of Directors have had a big influence on me and the way I look at conservation advocacy.
As a side note, Still Kickin' doesn't say much about the background, but the OYOA idea was hatched while he and I were on the Board of Directors at Orion, with Mark taking over as President of the Board when I left to start this gig. It was those years together that caused us to consider the insanity of bringing the Orion message via other platforms, at that time a DVD seemed sensible, as insensible as it is now. When we told Poz of the idea, he smiled big and gave us the "Give 'em hell and give 'em more" rally speech.
It is hard to watch Jim fight some serious health challenges over the last year. Besides his role as the most influential conservation voice of my generation, he was an All-American linebacker at Montana State, soldier in the Army shortly after that, a wildlife biologist for thirty years with MT FWP, and a guy who did not back away from the challenges of conservation. He was not one to sit quiet, even when employment with a state agency could be terminated as retribution by his opponents. And he understands that leadership is not a popularity contest.
I am researching the Poz story that still leaves the greatest impression on me. I suspect most reading here don't know this story, as it was something Poz prevented from happening and we don't have to live with the havoc it would have wreaked. It was this story that got him relegated to some back office position in Helena.
Imagine, if you can, a dam on the Yellowstone River near the mouth of the Paradise Valley just south of Livingston. That dam was slated and the skids had been greased by the many legislators who had been heavily influenced by the utility companies. Jim was in charge of the FWP division that would review the environmental impacts that dam would have caused. In spite of the pressures to smooth it over, Poz delivered the bad news that it would be a terrible outcome for fish, businesses in the area, displaced landowners, migratory and displaced wildlife, and the conservation ethic Montana likes to lay claim to. Displeased legislators and others of influence tried threats of janitorial employment, reflecting the stresses that came with being an "obstructionist" in the mid-1970s.
Poz's enemies never forgot the role he played in getting that dam project killed, how he would go to citizen meetings in his off-work hours, how he would meet with national media to keep awareness high, and rallying opposition when politicians least wanted to be opposed. To all of us who live near the Paradise Valley, who hunt animals that winter in that valley, or who admire its beauty on the way to Yellowstone, think about the folks like Poz who paid a dear professional price for making sure the Yellowstone stayed the wild undammed river it is today. Try to imagine the ridiculous idea of a lake from Carter's bridge far up past Emigrant, as hard as it is to imagine that.
I call it the "Dam that never was." When you talk to any person involved in the story, they all point their fingers towards Poz as the guy who refused to buckle under pressure and on whom the greatest pressure was applied.
A good article about the battle is here - http://newwest.net/city/article/free_river_how_the_yellowstone_river_kept_its_course/C396/L396/
It is from the story of the "Dam that never was" that I have come to understand the conservation is never easy, it is seldom comfortable, and is most always inconvenient. From that story, and others Jim has told me of fellow citizens he so admired for similar actions in many other places across that landscape, that I gain a missionary zeal toward the cause of public lands and conservation of those lands.
Again, thanks for all the kind comments. To be presented that award by Jim, at this time of his failing health, touched me more than words can properly explain. I hope that before his health battles get worse that he and I can sit down for another podcast and tell the story of the "Dam that never was." 100 years from now I hope fisherman remember that the cutthroats they catch on the Yellowstone are still there because in 1978 some guy, a guy who felt his duty as a state biologist was to speak for the citizens of the state, stood tall at the time it was most needed.
Thanks Poz.
As a side note, Still Kickin' doesn't say much about the background, but the OYOA idea was hatched while he and I were on the Board of Directors at Orion, with Mark taking over as President of the Board when I left to start this gig. It was those years together that caused us to consider the insanity of bringing the Orion message via other platforms, at that time a DVD seemed sensible, as insensible as it is now. When we told Poz of the idea, he smiled big and gave us the "Give 'em hell and give 'em more" rally speech.
It is hard to watch Jim fight some serious health challenges over the last year. Besides his role as the most influential conservation voice of my generation, he was an All-American linebacker at Montana State, soldier in the Army shortly after that, a wildlife biologist for thirty years with MT FWP, and a guy who did not back away from the challenges of conservation. He was not one to sit quiet, even when employment with a state agency could be terminated as retribution by his opponents. And he understands that leadership is not a popularity contest.
I am researching the Poz story that still leaves the greatest impression on me. I suspect most reading here don't know this story, as it was something Poz prevented from happening and we don't have to live with the havoc it would have wreaked. It was this story that got him relegated to some back office position in Helena.
Imagine, if you can, a dam on the Yellowstone River near the mouth of the Paradise Valley just south of Livingston. That dam was slated and the skids had been greased by the many legislators who had been heavily influenced by the utility companies. Jim was in charge of the FWP division that would review the environmental impacts that dam would have caused. In spite of the pressures to smooth it over, Poz delivered the bad news that it would be a terrible outcome for fish, businesses in the area, displaced landowners, migratory and displaced wildlife, and the conservation ethic Montana likes to lay claim to. Displeased legislators and others of influence tried threats of janitorial employment, reflecting the stresses that came with being an "obstructionist" in the mid-1970s.
Poz's enemies never forgot the role he played in getting that dam project killed, how he would go to citizen meetings in his off-work hours, how he would meet with national media to keep awareness high, and rallying opposition when politicians least wanted to be opposed. To all of us who live near the Paradise Valley, who hunt animals that winter in that valley, or who admire its beauty on the way to Yellowstone, think about the folks like Poz who paid a dear professional price for making sure the Yellowstone stayed the wild undammed river it is today. Try to imagine the ridiculous idea of a lake from Carter's bridge far up past Emigrant, as hard as it is to imagine that.
I call it the "Dam that never was." When you talk to any person involved in the story, they all point their fingers towards Poz as the guy who refused to buckle under pressure and on whom the greatest pressure was applied.
A good article about the battle is here - http://newwest.net/city/article/free_river_how_the_yellowstone_river_kept_its_course/C396/L396/
It is from the story of the "Dam that never was" that I have come to understand the conservation is never easy, it is seldom comfortable, and is most always inconvenient. From that story, and others Jim has told me of fellow citizens he so admired for similar actions in many other places across that landscape, that I gain a missionary zeal toward the cause of public lands and conservation of those lands.
Again, thanks for all the kind comments. To be presented that award by Jim, at this time of his failing health, touched me more than words can properly explain. I hope that before his health battles get worse that he and I can sit down for another podcast and tell the story of the "Dam that never was." 100 years from now I hope fisherman remember that the cutthroats they catch on the Yellowstone are still there because in 1978 some guy, a guy who felt his duty as a state biologist was to speak for the citizens of the state, stood tall at the time it was most needed.
Thanks Poz.
Lonesome_God_outdoors
Active member
Well done
Congrats to Randy and the other deserving recipients. Randy mentioned he hopes 100 years from now fishermen on the Yellowstone remember....... that's really what it's all about isn't it, the next generation of outdoorsmen. We have the obligation to pass to them what was passed to us by these dedicated conservationists. Personally, even in my younger years, 20's thru 40's I always felt the need to do all I could to assure the next generations had the same opportunities I enjoyed, and now that I'm in my early 60's and well beyond my physical prime, the desire to see this legacy passed on to the next generation is even stronger. Perhaps the fact I can see the finish line a little clearer and closer now is the reason I feel this heightened sense of urgency.
Gerald Martin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 8,643
Wow, what an inspiring story. I could tell you were touched by him presenting the award to you.
One only needs to watch one episode of FT or OYOA to get a sense of the reverence Randy holds for the creatures he hunts; whether it's not taking a shot at Ol' One Beam in New Mexico, assiduously looking for a buck that he grazed in western Colorado or watching how he approaches the pronghorn harvested in FT S3 E2 and what he says afterwards (watch the last 3 minutes of this episode), Randy Newberg is the apotheosis of what ethical hunting is about. Congrats to both Ed and Randy as I'm so glad to see them get this recognition.
elkduds
Well-known member
Congratulations on well-deserved recognition for endless efforts on behalf of public lands, wildlife and the North American model of wildlife conservation. Most of us will never know the time, energy and influence leaders like Big Fin expend on our behalf. One small way to recognize their contributions is to call and email legislators often. Thank you very much for all you do, Randy.
Nameless Range
Well-known member
Congratulations Fin. I hope you can get Mr. Posewitz on the podcast again.
I've got a book titled , "Saving Homewaters: The Story of Montana's Streams and Rivers", that has a chapter dedicated to the story of saving the Yellowstone south of Livingston. I'm gonna have to re-read it.
I've got a book titled , "Saving Homewaters: The Story of Montana's Streams and Rivers", that has a chapter dedicated to the story of saving the Yellowstone south of Livingston. I'm gonna have to re-read it.
Wrong Burgundy
Well-known member
Thank you, Randy, for your unwavering dedication to the good fight for public lands, and to Mr. Posewitz for his grit and determination over the long haul.
