The National Rifle Association of America is some 3 million strong, and 60,000 of those Second Amendment supporters were in Phoenix last month for their 138th annual meeting. It was billed as a Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum.

Gov. Jan Brewer welcomed them, saying, “Make no mistake. Arizona is NRA country.” 

The invitation for the meeting set the tone: “With anti-gun forces aligned against us, America’s gun owners can expect a barrage of anti-gun measures like we have not seen in decades. In order to meet these challenges head on, we must once again redouble our efforts to beat back attempts by the anti-gunners to further erode our cherished freedoms.” 

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Separate from, but parallel to NRA’s efforts was a message from Chris Chaffin, president of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, on influencing political opinion: “Politicos need to know the magnitude of influence of people who firmly believe the Second Amendment assures them the right to own firearms. They need to know that sportsmen and women contribute billions to conserve and maintain the resources they care about so passionately, and they need to be reminded that citizens who embrace and live the outdoor lifestyle are just as important as those who reside in asphalt jungles.”

Back to the NRA. One way the organization is attempting to increase its influence to fight pending legislation involving the right to keep and bear arms is by offering a free one-year trial membership in the NRA.

Outdoor outtakes

• “Why should we care about nature?” asks The New York Times magazine in an article on “Natural Happiness.”  The article by Yale psychology professor Paul Bloom asks if we should care about nature for its own sake - or for our sake to make us happy. He goes on to pessimistically note: “In many regards our species has already kissed nature goodbye.”  For those who have already lost that magic, the spiritual and moral benefits of an attachment to nature, the tragedy is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Others will remember that even in limited doses, exposure to nature, i.e., unstructured physical contact with the natural world, is good for your health.

• Wild elk populations in 23 states are up by 44 percent over what they were 25 years ago when the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation was launched to help conserve elk habitat. “The latest statistics validate our hard work,” says David Allen, president of the foundation. Western states, including California, Nevada, and New Mexico, experienced the greatest increases in growth. Unfortunately, Arizona was not among them. Although there have been more than 350 projects conserving 336,000 acres of habitat, Arizona’s estimated elk population is now half the 35,000 it was of 25 years ago.

• Current economic uncertainty notwithstanding, firearm and ammunition sales continue to climb. According to Department of Treasury figures, manufacturers of arms and ammo paid in more than $98 million in excise taxes in the fourth quarter of 2008, up 31 percent over the same three months in 2007. “Demand is clear,” says Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “Americans are increasing their firearms ownership.”  Lawrence Keane, vice president of the foundation, adds, “These numbers speak to a much greater story because gun owners are not merely consumers buying a product, but voters reacting to concerns.”

• Arizona fishing license sales are up about 10 percent over what they were last year despite the economic downtown “or perhaps because of it,” says Kirk Young, fisheries chief for Arizona Game and Fish. “For the price of a couple of movie tickets ($23.50 for residents), you can get a general fishing license that lasts all year long and brings relief from the doldrums.  Fishing is a universal antidote for an ailing spirit.”

• Despite the economy and worries over fewer people traveling, three fourths of privately-owned campgrounds and RV resorts spent at least $150,000 last year on upgrades, according to research done by Northern Arizona University. Among them, Desert RV Oasis in Florence spent $300,000 and the Equity Lifestyles Properties spent $13 million at 170 RV sites, including Paradise RV Resort in Sun City.

• Add another Arizona waterway to the list of 13 others that have tested positive for elevated levels of mercury. State health officials have implemented a fish consumption advisory for largemouth bass and channel catfish at Roosevelt Lake.

Heavy metals concentrate in the fatty tissues of predatory fish and when eaten by those at the top-of-the-line in the food chain, humans can accrue levels beyond consumption thresholds limits. Recommendations are for no consumption by children under the age of six because infants and pregnant/nursing mothers are most at risk to possible health effects.  More on fish consumption advisories in Arizona is online at www.azdeq.gov/environ/water/assessment/download/fish-0409.pdf.

• Coronado National Forest officials report completion of improvement projects at two nearby recreation areas, Sabino Canyon and Mount Lemmon’s Rose Canyon Lake. Four restrooms have been replaced in the canyon and facilities at campsites by the lake have been revamped. Friends of Sabino Canyon helped out with the funding of projects.

• Talk about incentive fish: A new Lake Powell crappie record has been set.  Crappie are a schooling fish. Find a big one and there should be other monsters in the same group. A visiting Wisconsin angler discovered a school of large crappie last month with several tipping 3 pounds on the scale. The largest was a new lake record; 3 pounds, 5 ounces and 18½ inches long. It was caught on a Road Runner jig.

Lee Allen is a Tucson-based freelance writer whose Outdoor Observations column appears the third week of each month.