School Text Says Hunting & Fishing Makes Species Extinct…

Appended below for your information is some news as relayed from our friends at the National Wild Turkey Federation. It is

self explanatory and, while pretty disappointing, not terribly surprising.

With best regards,

Paul F. Karczmarczyk, Regional Biologist
Ruffed Grouse Society
P.O. Box 2504
West Brattleboro, VT 05303
Office: (802) 325-2114
Fax: (802) 325-2143
email: [email protected]
website: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org

Subject: Fw: McGraw Hill 4th Grade science text book-FYI

I have forwarded you an excerpt from a new McGraw-Hill 4th grade
science text book. I thought you might
want the opportunity to comment, as well.

James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs
[email protected] or [email protected]
Phone: 803-637-3106/Fax: 803-637-0034

March 13, 2002

MacMillan/McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Two Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10121

Dear Sirs:

An excerpt from a new McGraw-Hill 4th grade science text has been brought to our attention. From page A 34 of the text, the statement reads as follows:

“People play a role in extinction. People use pesticides and chemicals, destroy places where animals live, and use up resources. They also hunt and fish. This causes many species to become endangered, or in danger of becoming extinct.”

We take great exception to the inference that hunting and fishing is causing the extinction of any species. This statement is completely false. While it is true that market hunting of the past and commercial fishing both past and present have greatly impacted populations, it is quite wrong to include all hunting and fishing in this blanket statement. Modern sportsmen, both hunters and fishermen, have been responsible for saving many species from the brink of extinction. Notable among these are whitetail deer, wild turkeys, many species of trout, and striped bass, to name only a few.

The 400,000 members of the National Wild Turkey Federation, as well as millions of other sportsmen, are vitally interested in conserving, not destroying, our wildlife heritage. We ask you to either remove your statement concerning hunting and fishing or qualify it to correctly represent the facts.

Thank you,

James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs
The National Wild Turkey Federation

Cc: NWTF Officers, Rob Keck, C.E.O., Carl Brown, C.O.O., James Sparks, C.F.O.