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Enlightening Facts and Figures from James Cole, James
Cole, Indiana IBA Coordinator, presented a fact-filled program at the
November 21 EAS meeting, including the following from the Indiana
Conservation Alliance: ·
About
50% of Indiana’s citizens hunt, fish, or watch wildlife—10% higher
than the national average. (National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation Survey, US Fish & Wildlife Service,
2001) ·
Less
than 4% of Indiana’s land is set aside for conservation and recreational
purposes.
(According to the Indiana SCORP: Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor
Recreation Plan 2000 and The Wilderness Society 1995) ·
Indiana
ranks 46 in the nation in the amount of state and federal land set aside
for recreation. (SCORP) ·
Indiana
has lost 80% of our forests, 85% of our wetlands, and more than 99% of our
prairies. (Natural Heritage of Indiana, Jackson) · Indiana ranks 48th in the country on environmental indicators—such as air quality, energy consumption, and state spending on the environment. (Gold and Green Report, Institute for Southern Studies, 2000) The
good news is that 87% of Hoosier voters feel that more needs to be done to
protect natural resources in Indiana. Two-thirds of Hoosier voters said
they were willing to pay as much as ten dollars per year in increased
taxes solely to fund a variety of conservation programs. Even more
striking, a majority said they would pay $20 or more per year and that
includes Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters.
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