Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
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The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Hunters may be one of the most misunderstood voting blocs in Iowa politics.
The old stereotype says that these camouflage and blaze orange-clad sportsmen have just one thing on their minds — guns. But while it is true that they are ever-vigilant in protecting their right to bear arms, sportsmen also care deeply about the environment.
A recent statewide poll of Iowa hunters and anglers showed that most of them are concerned about global warming, conservation and environmental protection. And a strong majority are just as concerned with conservation as they are with gun rights issues.
The poll was commissioned by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and conducted by American Viewpoint, Inc. Sept. 6-11, when 600 self-identified Iowa hunters and anglers were asked questions about their views on global warming.
Derek Brockbank, an Iowa representative of the NWF, told reporters in a conference call Wednesday that his organization has been asking the opinions of hunters and anglers about global warming "precisely because they are the conservative mainstream America. These are not your tree-hugging liberal hippies. These are conservative Americans who care about conservation. And to that end, they care about global warming."
Rick Ridder, who conducted poll analysis for NWF, explained that three-quarters of those Iowa sportsmen who were polled said we have a strong moral responsibility to act now to curb the world effect of global warming and protect our children's future.
"These are significant findings," said Ridder. "Whenever you see numbers in the 75 percent level, there's a fair degree of salience in the response."
The results also showed that at the time of the poll, hunters and anglers were undecided on which presidential candidate they would support in the Iowa caucuses. Only 9 percent had decided on a candidate, and 55 percent said that they had not yet chosen a candidate.
"This is a group that is both undecided and concerned about the global warming issue," said Ridder.
The poll showed 69 percent of Iowa hunters and anglers believe global warming is occurring. Of those respondents, 58 percent believe that human activity is a least a contributing factor to global warming, and 52 percent believe that the United States is doing too little to address the issue.
Among likely Republican caucus attendees who were polled, 51-percent of them believe that global warming is occurring. And 90 percent of likely Democratic caucus attendees believe in global warming.
"Years ago, people used to think that the gun issue and conservation were mutually exclusive," said Ridder, highlighting the fact that 66 percent of hunters and anglers now say conservation is just as important, if not more important, than gun rights issues. "These voters are looking towards the future, and they do not see a bright future for wildlife or fish populations in their own home sporting areas. And in large part they relate that to global warming."
Click this link for complete poll results. Further information about the poll can be found at www.targetglobalwarming.org.
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