Special Addendum
to August 2011 Newsletter
Jim Casada
Web site:
www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
1250 Yorkdale Drive
E-mail: jc@jimcasadaoutdoors.com
Rock Hill, SC 29730-7638
803-329-4354
I am sending out this
“blast” (if that’s what you call such things—I’ve seen the phrase
“e-mail blast,” but technological dunce that I am, it may not apply) for
two reasons. The first is to appeal to my loyal newsletter readers for
support of a petition. The second is to give one final reminder of your
opportunity to save $10 on my forthcoming work, The Literature of
Turkey Hunting: An Annotated Bibliography and Random Scribblings from a
Sporting Bibliophile.
As should have been
obvious in my monthly newsletter offerings, I had a wonderful boyhood.
Much of it was spent fishing and camping in the bosom of the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, happy, carefree, and untroubled by much
government intrusion of any kind. I purchased my annual fishing license,
obtained permits when I ventured into the backcountry for overnight
stays, occasionally showed the contents of my creel to a Park ranger,
and enjoyed a blissful adolescence.
Much the same
situation has prevailed in all the intervening years, although I have
watched, with increasing vexation and alarm, as a series of bureaucrats
wearing the title of Park Superintendent, along with all too many
misguided minions, seemed hell-bent on doing wrong for the Park I
cherish and where my father, in his own boyhood (and before the
establishment of the Park), spent what were arguably the happiest and
most memorable of all the 101 years of his life.
These intrusions have
taken a variety of forms and seem increasingly onerous. In that regard I
guess you could say that they are a microcosm of the way government in
today’s world seems to act on all fronts. It wants to be in our lives,
direct our every action, and dig into our vanishing financial resources
at every turn. All of this has led me, in company with three other folks
who are equally passionate about the Smokies, to formulate a petition
protesting a plan which would see anyone who ventured into the
backcountry of the Smokies to stay overnight burdened with onerous fees.
These would come in two forms—a required payment to register for camping
and a night-by-night charge to sleep out in the open beneath the starry
skies of the Great Smokies.
-
Never mind that
there has never been a charge in the 76 years of the Park’s
existence.
-
Never mind that
shortly after the Park was established a promise was made that there
would never be access fees for use of the Park.
-
Never mind that
the Park’s own statistics show backcountry camping is in decline and
has been so since the mid-1990s.
-
Never mind that
this comes at a time of straitened economic circumstances for many.
-
Never mind that
we are at a point in our nation’s history when we need more
youngsters and young people being encouraged to take to the woods,
as opposed to facing financial and logistical barriers to do so.
-
Never mind that
the Park has long been guilty of salutary neglect of the
backcountry.
-
Never mind that
those who regularly use the backcountry are some of the finest
stewards of the Smokies.
-
Never mind that
millions of dollars (your taxpayer dollars) in “stimulus” funds went
to the Park as part of the Obama administration’s TARP program.
Heedless of all these
things, Park officials are plowing ahead to institute fees for a Park
specifically established for the “enjoyment of the people” and in a
place where thousands gave up their homes to make it a reality.
I have never
previously, in my 69 years, been part of presenting a petition, but I’m
so passionate about this that I am doing so. I hope you will go to the
petition, no matter where you live, and add your voice to those in
protest. You may have never been to the Smokies, but that’s really
beside the point. If you feel, as I do, that the onerous hand of the
government is laying hold of us at every turn, I urge you to read this
petition and its points of justification, and then sign it. Seldom have
I felt more strongly about an issue, and enough opposing voices may just
give Dale Ditmanson, the superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, pause to ponder the wrong he is doing.
Here’s the
link:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/gsmnp_backcountry_fees/
Last Chance to Acquire New Turkey Bibliography at Pre-Publication
Savings
I’ve mentioned my
forthcoming turkey bibliography a number of times over the past year or
two, and it is a month (maybe less) away from becoming published
reality. For upwards of three decades I have been a dedicated (or
perhaps addicted would be a better descriptor) collector of the
literature of turkey hunting. Some years ago I decided to build on my
collecting activities, along with considerable writing about the
literary aspects of the sport, to produce a bibliography of material
dealing with the sport. After a number of fits and starts, that concept
is on the verge of becoming published reality.
I am today completing
reading of the proofs for The Literature of Turkey Hunting: An
Annotated Bibliography and Random Scribblings from a Sporting
Bibliophile. If all goes smoothly, I expect to have the finished
product in hand sometime in September.
The book will be
published in a signed and number edition of 750 copies. The book is
“done right” in terms of materials and aesthetics. It will come boxed in
a quality slipcase. Its 200 pages are on top-drawer, 80-pound paper
stock. All edges will be gilt and the work will have a ribbon marker.
The front cover and the spine will be embossed in gold. It is Smythe
sewn, has linen headbands, and every effort has been made to produce a
product which represents the book printing business at its finest. The
work includes a selection of color photos.
As for the contents,
talented turkey scribe and cherished friend Jim Spencer has written a
Foreword for the book. There are eleven chapters:
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“Suggestions on
Forming a Turkey Hunting Library”
-
“The Vagaries of
Book Values”
-
“Some Notes on
Arrangement and the Scope of Coverage”
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“Books on Turkey
Hunting”
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“Tom Kelly Books”
-
“Scientific Books
and Pamphlets on Turkey Hunting”
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“Pamphlets,
Leaflets, Booklets, Bulletins, and Other Ephemera”
-
“Books with Some
Coverage of Turkey Hunting”
-
“Elusive Items,
‘Ghost’ Titles, and Things Unseen”
-
“Magazines and
Annuals”
-
“A Peek in the
Crystal Ball”
There is an appendix
on “Book Terms, Condition, and Related Information.”
Most of the entries
are accompanied by my commentary. Also included, except for minor items
and scientific material, are my thoughts on the current value of each
entry. While there are unquestionably oversights—no bibliography is ever
complete—I think the work is a comprehensive one. Certainly it far
transcends anything currently available to the reading turkey hunter and
lover of the sport’s literary heritage.
I am presently
accepting pre-publication orders for $90. Once the book arrives, I
will be charging $100 (with the additional $10 being to cover shipping,
handling, and insurance). In other words, I am paying the “freight” for
those who order now. I will fill orders strictly as they arrive, with
lowest numbers being assigned to the earliest orders.
If you wish to
obtain a pre-publication copy, now is the time to order. Once the
book is in hand, this offer ends. I will only accept payment by check or
money order. No PayPal for this special offer. Payment can be sent to me
c/o 1250 Yorkdale Drive, Rock Hill, SC 29730.
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