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A Gathering of Sportsmen in Northwest Connecticut
By Chris M. Marino, Goshen
 | | David Leff, Deputy Commissioner of the CT Department of Environmental Protection, spoke at the NWCSC banquet on February 8. Photos/Robin Gourd |
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The Northwest CT Sportsman’s Council hosted its second annual fundraising banquet on Friday, February 8 at the Crystal Peak Banquet Facility in Winsted. Proceeds from this event are used to benefit and support the NWCSC in its efforts to represent the interests of sportsmen and to fund conservation and education projects. Over three hundred sportsmen and women; many attending with their families, filled the hall to capacity.
Many of Northwest Connecticut’s notable political figures were in attendance, each saying a few words to the audience as they were introduced, and taking advantage of the comfortable atmosphere to speak to their constituents throughout the evening. Legislators in attendance included State Senators Andrew Roraback and Thomas Herlihy, and State Representatives Craig Minor, Ron San Angelo, Roberta Willis, Phillip Prelli and John Piscopo. Also present were prominent politicians from our communities, Mayor Owen Quinn of Torrington, and Harwinton First Selectman Marie Knudson.
Special guests of the evening were Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, David Leff, and DEP Wildlife Division Director, Dale May. Commissioner Leff, attending his second Northwest banquet, spoke of the cooperation that has been initiated between the sportsmen and women of the Northwest Council and DEP, and the continuing successes in promoting conservation and volunteerism that have been the result. Wildlife Director Dale May gave the keynote address to the assembly, speaking of habitat and wildlife management, and the continuing role sportsmen play in the overall quality of both.
The NWCSC is an organization comprised of 23 sportsman’s clubs and associations. Constituted as it is, the NWCSC represents the interests of over 7,000 sportsmen and women, all of whom care deeply about the future of Northwest Connecticut and its natural resources, and the preservation of our "cultural heritage" of hunting, fishing, trapping and conservation. The Council acts as a pro-active advocate of our sportsmen and women, and serves as a valuable link between sportsmen, the DEP, our communities, and the state. As such, the NWCSC is active on many fronts. We have council members who sit on the Citizen’s Advisory Council to the DEP. We are active supporters of the Working Lands Alliance and are members of the CT League of Conservation Voters.
 | | NWCSC President Chris Marino |
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In the four years since we formed the Northwest CT Sportsman’s Council, we have become an active participant in all major issues relating to responsible firearms ownership, our sporting heritage, and environmental conservation. Our delegates are at the hearings and meetings; we are active in Hartford as well as in our local communities. Our volunteers have been and continue to be available to work on any worthwhile conservation projects and have instituted several of our own.
We believe in the self-reliance and individualism of the Northwest Corner. Our banquet stands as a testament to that concept. Organized, funded and managed completely by our members, along with the generosity of our local merchants, we enable the programs and outreach that will unite and help all citizens achieve a better life through interaction with the natural environment.
A few upcoming NWCSC-sponsored programs and projects include: a one-day Forestry and Wildlife Habitat Seminar to be held at Sessions Woods WMA and Education Center in Burlington on Saturday, April 20, in cooperation with the Ruffed Grouse Society and DEP; an ongoing sportsman survey of snowshoe hare and habitat in Northwest Connecticut; and cooperative volunteer work with the DEP Wildlife Division to build bird-watching observation facilities and habitat improvement projects on state Wildlife Management Lands.
We are also deeply concerned with DEP funding issues, particularly those that affect the Bureau of Natural Resources. We are active in building the coalitions and consensus necessary to provide adequate funding for management and maintenance of state-owned lands. Proper DEP funding also affects important issues such as invasive species and how we as a state responsibly address this issue. Senator Roraback has been a leader in seeking a solution to this problem. Our Council is committed to seeing that state leadership address invasive species through proper funding and management within DEP, which is our state agency tasked with preserving and enhancing environmental quality, and which is most qualified to do so in an objective and professional manner.
We have learned much in the first four years of Council activity. We have made many friends along the way. From equestrians to bird watchers, from our local land trusts to our local farmers, we have found much in common and the potential to accomplish much more working together. Our goals are mutually beneficial: tolerance, diversity, and a healthy environment for all to enjoy.
Many challenges lie ahead; the issues pertaining to management of our natural resources and our cultural heritage as sportsmen are many and complex. Events such as the Northwest Council Banquet serve to demonstrate the unity and willingness of our local sportsmen and women to address the issues that affect us all.
Chris M. Marino is President of the Northwest CT Sportsman’s Council.
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