It’s that time of year again. Nope, you didn’t miss an anniversary and it’s too early to begin thinking about Christmas, but it is time to acknowledge National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sept. 26. That’s the day commemorations showcase the idea “Conservation in America succeeds because of hunters and anglers.”

Congress formalized the annual event in 1972. This year’s theme is “Hunt, Shoot, Fish. Share the Pride.”

“It’s about the hunter, angler, shooter community working together to communicate conservation benefits of traditional outdoor recreation to build public understanding and appreciation of that lifestyle,” says Denise Wagner of Wonders of Wildlife.

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Hunting and fishing licenses along with excise taxes on arms and ammunition, bows and arrows, and rods and reels, generates more than $1.75 billion a year for fish, wildlife, and habitat projects.

Outdoor outtakes

• A nearly mile-long input pipeline that keep fish growing in Alchesay/Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery outside Whiteriver on White Mountain Apache Tribal land is 47 years old, corroded, and threatening to burst. That would effectively shut down growing of some 1.2 million trout for sportfishing in Indian waters. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs $3.5 million to replace the pipe but they don’t have the funds. Stay tuned as this one could turn very ugly, very quickly. You’ll find more details on the saga under my byline at www.ESPNOutdoors.com, “Leaks in the System.”

• The rehabilitation of Peña Blanca Lake near Nogales is about done with the U.S. Forest Service signing off on their part in the $2.8 million mercury-contamination clean-up. “There’s no way materials like this are getting into the lake again,” says USFS Engineer and project manager Eli Curiel Jr. “While we’ve never done anything this big before, from front-to-back this has been a successful project with everything done correctly.” Arizona Game & Fish still has to oversee installation of a new launch ramp and the lake has to be refilled. “If we get a hurricane from Mexico and it parks right over this watershed for several days, this lake could re-fill rapidly,” Curiel says. Relying on minimal  snow melt and monsoon rains could mean recovery of up to eight years.

• The Southern Arizona Sportsmen’s Association (SASA) is a believer in proactivity and with our region’s representation on the Arizona Game & Fish Commission about to change, they’ve started the replacement process.  Commissioner Bob Hernbrode will finish his five-year term in December and the group “wants to start early in finding the right person to represent Southern Arizona,” says SASA coordinator Larry Audsley. Among the known names mentioned as possible replacements, the group is offering support to former Graham County Attorney Jack Williams and Tucsonan Peggy Ann Vallery, who is currently president of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

 • A closer-to-home staycation mentality is reflected in the latest statistics from the Arizona Office of Tourism relative to visits at state parks. According to AOT in June, while Kartchner Caverns State Park visits dropped by 10 percent, there were increased visits to Oracle State Park, up 39.8 percent, and Patagonia Lake State Park, up 19.8 percent.

• With no dues, no meetings, and no official membership requirements, Family Nature Clubs are springing up across the country, according to Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. Excursions to share adventures in the outdoors remain informal with a variety of options. including nature hikes, bird watching, geocaching, and community-based service learning projects. To start a Family Nature Club, there is a free downloadable tool kit at www.childrenandnature.org/movement/natureclubs.

• Exceeding last year’s take by $63,000, the fourth annual Arizona Big Game Super Raffle sale of 10 big game tags raised $541,795. According to the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation Web page, 100 percent of tag funds go to the Arizona Game & Fish Department to fund wildlife projects.

Contact Lee Allen at editor@azbiz.com. Allen’s Outdoor Observations column appears the third week of each month.