New West Series

Bridging the Gap in D.C., a Pop-In by a Straight-Talking Tester and Final Thoughts

By Bruce Smithhammer, 3-11-11

	Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development gather in front of the Capitol prior to meetings with various members of Congress and their staff.

The previous evening ended with a reception for the Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus, of which Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) is currently chairman. It is a fun affair, where conversations come easily and common interests seem to abound. After a day spent crisscrossing from one office to another, back and forth across the Capitol lawn, lobbying on behalf of responsible energy development, it is a welcome change of pace.

There is a rumor that the senator will make an appearance, but with Congress as hectic as it is at the moment, we know this isn’t necessarily a given.

Before the pot stickers and shrimp have fully disappeared, a man built like a cross between an NFL linebacker and a pile of bricks enters with a small entourage, and I recognize his face, of course.

Tester makes a short speech and, though I’ve heard him speak before, I’m struck again by how he simply doesn’t talk like your typical senator, and I mean this in a good way. He talks like the kind of real, down-to-earth guy that you could kick back and have a beer with; that you could talk about everyday things with, who wouldn’t flinch at getting his hands dirty. And while many politicians try to affect this sort of act when they feel they need to work a particular crowd, there is nothing to suggest that Tester is being anything other than himself. Like him or not, he is an intriguing, unique presence in the Senate, and brings a perspective few others seem to.

The senator talks about the importance of sportsmen, of habitat, of the benefits of the CRP program (Conservation Reserve Program). He talks about the increase in wild pheasants that he’s seen over the years on his own property due to CRP. He’s not talking about some exclusive, canned, hunting lodge for the wealthy elite that we often associate with pictures of senators hunting (when we see pictures of them hunting at all) – he’s talking about his own, third-generation family farm, back in Choteau County.

The next thing I know the alarm is going off and I’m throwing on clothes and throwing down coffee and joining the crush of stolid-faced, morning commuters on the Metro to get back to the Congressional offices for Day Two. We have several more meetings similar to yesterday’s, with Congressional staffers listening to Sportsman for Responsible Energy Development members present their point of view. The meetings go similarly – we are given a respectful amount of time to state our case, we are given some insight into the Congressman’s position on these matters, concluding with a little jovial small talk and the customary exchange of business cards and hand-shaking.

Did our group accomplish what we set out to do, which was primarily to bridge the gap between constituent and legislator, to convince the latter that hunting and fishing and habitat are important, both culturally and economically? The lasting effects of these conversations will wait to emerge as new energy legislation comes before the 112th Congress.

But no matter how these legislators vote on the pressing issues surrounding energy development in the future, I sincerely hope that Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) will think about the few minutes that Tim Martin, a hunter and angler from Sandpoint, spent in his office, and how the decision might affect him. That Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO) will consider the concerns of his eloquent constituent, Gaspar Perricone. That all of the Congresspeople and staffers we spoke with will keep in mind that, while we certainly need to continue to develop domestic energy, if we do so at the cost of everything else that makes the Intermountain West unique, we will ultimately have gained nothing. Most wells are finite, but the benefits of protecting hunting, fishing and the habitats and economic benefits of these activities, represent a well that can be tapped in perpetuity.

Bruce Smithhammer is a freelance writer and editor, a columnist for the Teton Valley News and a contributing editor for The Drake magazine. He is also among a group of hunting writers who contribute to the blog Mouthful of Feathers. This week, he wrote about his D.C. trip for New West. Read his first installment, A New Congress, a New Chance to Be Heard on Wildlands, and his second piece, From the West, Through the Metal Detectors and Into the Offices of Congress.

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