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1 the Origin, Decline, and Resurgence of Conservation As A The Origin, Decline, and Resurgence of Conservation as a Guiding Principle in the Federation of Fly Fishers1 Richard N. Williams, PhD IFFF Senior Conservation Advisor2 Fly fisherman, by virtue of their very being, are probably closer in their ability to know nature and enjoy it and contribute to it more than any other people. But they have got to become men of action. If we are going to survive as fly fisherman in the kind of environment we see necessary, further if we are going to survive as a society, we are going to have to develop a conservation conscience.3 David Hurn FFF Conclave, 1965 The Federation of Fly Fishers was founded in 1965 with a dual mission of educating fly fishers and promoting conservation through advocacy. The strong conservation roots of the organization weakened during the 1980s; however, efforts since the mid-1990s have focused on rebuilding and refining its conservation programs. Since 2000, FFF’s conservation efforts and advocacy stances have become increasingly science-based and more sharply focused on conservation of native fishes and their aquatic habitats. Further strengthening FFF’s commitment to conservation could serve as the fulcrum for increasing membership and defining FFF’s conservation legacy. Origin of the Federation of Fly Fishers The Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) arose out of a confluence of factors in the mid- 1960s that included an emerging and bountiful post-war economy, population growth in the U.S. (e.g., the baby boom), advances in materials technology applied to fishing equipment (high quality fiberglass rods, followed a decade later by graphite rods), and a concern by many fly fishers that the quality and availability of long cherished fisheries were declining. Rivers were becoming crowded, particularly in areas adjacent to larger population centers along the western and eastern coasts. Fish abundance on many well-known rivers was declining, and 1 Book chapter in review for Rivers of Conservation, University of Chicago Press. 2 Department of Biology, The College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho; [email protected] 3 David Hurn, “Keynote Address to FFF members”, (Speech to FFF attendees at FFF Founding Conclave, Eugene, Oregon 1965). Williams, Rick; 2015; Conservation History of FFF 1 in Backcasts: Historical and Global Perspectives in Fly Fishing and Coldwater Conservation; the quality fly fishing experience that so many anglers sought (often a solitary one) was becoming harder to find. These factors helped sow the seeds for a national organization dedicated to fly fishing and conservation composed of clubs as far-flung as Oregon and Washington to New York City’s newly formed Theodore Gordon Flyfishers. Bill Nelson planted the concept of a national organization in the newly formed McKenzie Fly Fishers of Eugene, Oregon. Having recently moved from Washington State, where he had been an active member of the Evergreen Fly Fishers, Bill was instrumental in starting the McKenzie Fly Fishers. In May 1964, only two months after the club formed, Bill shared his vision of a national organization and challenged McKenzie club members to host a national meeting the following summer4. Skip Hosfield, another founding member, described how Nelson’s challenge caused divisions and considerable havoc within the club5. He (Bill) was a combination of carnival pitchman and revival preacher, alternately enticing us with visions of benefits to be gained, or appealing to whatever sense of selfless moral obligation lay dormant in us. ... the brand of snake oil he was selling was strong stuff. It either killed you outright - about half the club members rejected the idea and quit the club over the next few months; or it made you a believer - an apostle of the faith Many members thought the concept too big and ambitious for a newly formed club of twenty- five or so members6. Some members quit the club over this issue: nevertheless, the club formed a committee and started planning for the national meeting. As the club made progress toward the national meetings, some members returned and became some of FFF’s greatest advocates7. Nelson immediately started recruiting support for the national meeting. In July 1964, Nelson, along with Stan Walters and Bill Hilton from the McKenzie Flyfishers, flew to Aspen, Colo., to a conference of outdoors writers, hoping to meet and recruit celebrities such as Lee Wulff. Wulff was not at the Aspen meeting; however, Nelson met Gene Anderegg of the newly formed Theodore Gordon Flyfishers (TGF) in New York City (Figure 1). Again, Skip Hosfield describes this frenetic time period8. Somehow over the next 12 months it all came together. Gene Anderegg came on board in September (1964) and became deeply involved in the planning and promotion. Between Nelson's wide contacts throughout the Northwest and Anderegg's in the East, they were able to line up an attractive slate of program 4 Doug Kokkeler, D. 2011. “History of the McKenzie Fly fishers Club, Eugene Oregon,” McKenzie Fly Fishers. http://www.mckenzieflyfishers.org/ (accessed October 1, 2011). 5 Skip Hosfield, “Beginnings in Eugene, 1965,” The Flyfisher, 1990. 6 Skip Hosfield, telephone interview by author. October 3, 2011. 7 Doug Kokkeler, D. 2011. “History of the McKenzie Fly fishers Club, Eugene Oregon.” 8 Skip Hosfield, “Beginnings in Eugene, 1965,” The Flyfisher, 1990. Williams, Rick; 2015; Conservation History of FFF 2 in Backcasts: Historical and Global Perspectives in Fly Fishing and Coldwater Conservation; speakers. The format established in the 1965 Conclave set the pattern, which has been followed, expanded but is essentially the same, in all subsequent Conclaves. Gene quickly grasped the power of Nelson’s vision and agreed to help. Gene recruited Lee Wulff (also a TGF founding member) to attend the proposed 1965 Conclave of Fly Fishermen, as the meeting was to be called. Anderegg also gained support from Ted Rogowski, who was president of the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers and later played a central role in developing FFF’s strong conservation voice. Figure 1. FFF Founding Fathers: Bill Nelson (l) and Gene Anderegg (r). Photos courtesy of Bill Nelson and Skip Hosfield, respectively. The 1965 Conclave was attended by about 200 people representing fourteen fly fishing clubs from across the country coming together to discuss fly fishing, conservation, and the formation of a national federation of fly fishing clubs. In short order, the Federation of Fly Fishers was founded and officially chartered one year later in 1966. Gene Anderegg served as FFF President for the first four years and started FFF’s Flyfisher Magazine. FFF was originally conceived as a hybrid organization: part fly fishing club, part social club, a forum and gathering place for fly tiers, a place to learn fly casting and fly fishing techniques, and a grassroots conservation organization focused on local as well as regional and national issues. This hybrid nature continues today and constitutes FFF’s greatest strength and greatest weakness. Williams, Rick; 2015; Conservation History of FFF 3 in Backcasts: Historical and Global Perspectives in Fly Fishing and Coldwater Conservation; Conservation as a Founding Principle in FFF Looking back at the first few Annual Conclaves, it is evident that conservation was the primary reason for creating FFF as a national organization9. Materials related to the founding of the Federation made clear that, in the minds of the founders, FFF members were to respect the traditions and heritage of fly fishing and work on local, regional, and national fisheries conservation issues, particularly where regulations and decision-making could be influenced through activism. Bill Nelson saw the power of linking conservation with political activism through a national organization of fly fishing clubs as key to preserving fly fishing and its traditions. This insight was central in his proposal to the McKenzie Fly Fishers to host a national meeting investigate the possibility of starting a national federation of fly fishing clubs10. We have been slow to realize the role of political pressures in conservation and are of the opinion now that a united desire for the things that are necessary to perpetuate our sport of fly fishing is the only way to keep from losing many of the things we hold so dear. David Hurn’s quote at the start of this chapter (in language typical of the day) further supports Nelson’s vision – he called for FFF members to be “men of action” and to act with a “conservation conscience.” 11 In support of this strong sense of purpose concerning conservation and the potential to influence policy and regulations as conservation advocates, FFF’s annual conclaves for the first decade of its existence were replete with conservation and natural resource policy luminaries of the day. Speakers at the first conclaves in Eugene (1965), Jackson Lake Lodge (1966-1968), and Sun Valley, Idaho (1969, 1970, 1972) included internationally known conservationists and writers (Lee Wulff and Roderick Haig-Brown), key Western U.S. politicians (Idaho Senator Frank Church and Wyoming Governor Clifford Hansen), federal natural resource agency administrators (Assistant Secretary of the Interior Clarence Pautzke and U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel), and leading non-governmental conservationists (Thomas Kimball of the National Wildlife Federation and A. Starker Leopold, UC Berkeley). At the same time, because it was established as a ”federation” of clubs, FFF has always emphasized the importance of grassroots work on local issues through individual clubs. Local clubs were organized into geographic groupings (Councils) and loosely tied to a national office. Presently, the FFF has about 11,200 members in thirty-seven countries with 9 Martin Seldon. FFF Conservation History and Philosophies: Issue paper for the Federation of Fly Fishers. FFF: Livingston. 2006; Skip Hosfield, telephone interview by author. October 3, 2011; Ted Rogowski, telephone interview by author. October 27, 2011. 10 William Nelson, 1964.
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