thedrifter
02-22-04, 06:51 AM
Patriotism on wildlife tag doesn't fly with all
By STACY SHELTON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/17/04
Environmentalist Mike Moody wants to contribute to Georgia's wildlife protection fund, but he's not sure he wants to do it by buying and displaying a license plate adorned with a bald eagle and an American flag.
Moody has nothing against eagles, yet he dislikes what he sees as a red-white-and-blue symbol of political views he doesn't share.
The 55-year-old outdoorsman runs a canoe and kayaking operation east of Athens on the Broad River and belongs to the river's watershed association. The state's eagle-and-flag wildlife license plate in December replaced a tag that for seven years was decorated with a bobwhite quail in a pine tree.
"Why did [the state] pick that tag? I have friends who refuse to buy it because it's so rah-rah," Moody said. "I'm a patriot, but I'm not a gun-toting, flag-waving, Bush-loving patriot."
Money from sales of the license plates — $19 of the $20 annual fee — goes to the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, which uses the funds to buy wilderness areas and pay biologists to study the state's plants and animals. The bobwhite quail tag, which was introduced in 1997, raised more than $12 million.
The new plate poses a dilemma for some environmentalists. In Georgia, as elsewhere, many of them lean to Democrat or Green Party candidates. Some see a connection between flag-waving symbols and President Bush, who they say favors big business over the environment. When pushed, many say they don't support the U.S. war effort in Iraq.
So, do Georgia environmentalists buy the new tag to "Give Wildlife a Chance," as it reads? Or do they reject what some consider an endorsement of what they oppose?
Jerry McCollum, chief executive officer of the Georgia Wildlife Federation, the state's largest conservation organization with more than 50,000 members, said he didn't like the tag when it was introduced last year. "I thought it was feeding off the patriotic mood our country was in," McCollum said.
Even so, he understands its potential as a fund-raiser. "What it's designed to do is appeal to a broad amount of people that will give money to save wildlife," McCollum said.
And that's the point, said Beth Brown, spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources. A committee of DNR staffers looked at 30 possibilities before deciding on the eagle-and-flag design. Among the choices were a sea turtle, a hummingbird, a heron in a river and an eagle in a pine tree.
The eagle-and-flag design was put on the list because the committee suspected it would be popular, Brown said. The design was the favorite of people who viewed all five on the agency's Web site. That clinched it.
"We know the hard-core environmentalists would have preferred to see [wildlife and plants] in their habitat," she said. "But you've got to think about how many pickup trucks in Georgia are going to put a pink ladyslipper on the back."
The proof is in the sales. In its first two months, the new license plate brought in $946,941 — more than half what the old tag averaged over an entire year.
The eagle-and-flag plate has outsold another Wildlife Resources Division tag — featuring a deer and bobwhite quail and aimed at preserving hunting grounds — by 49,839 to 23,895.
Some motorists who had been sporting the old quail-and-pine wildlife preservation tag complained they were unpleasantly surprised when the eagle replacement plate showed up in the mail. Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety renewal notices do not indicate the wildlife tag has been redesigned. Bald eagles are native to Georgia and one of the state's best conservation stories. They nearly had disappeared from Georgia in the 1970s. Today the birds have more than 80 known nesting areas, and their status has improved from endangered to threatened.
The new tag's picture of the majestic bird appeals to Terry Bennett of Douglas County. At the motor vehicle office in Douglasville last week, he chose the eagle-and-flag tag for his sky-blue pickup truck.
"I think it's the best looking tag we've ever had in Georgia," Bennett said.
The 53-year-old ex-Marine, who served in Vietnam, said he appreciated both the patriotic theme and the wildlife protection cause. "I don't mind paying a few dollars more."
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204/18tags.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
By STACY SHELTON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/17/04
Environmentalist Mike Moody wants to contribute to Georgia's wildlife protection fund, but he's not sure he wants to do it by buying and displaying a license plate adorned with a bald eagle and an American flag.
Moody has nothing against eagles, yet he dislikes what he sees as a red-white-and-blue symbol of political views he doesn't share.
The 55-year-old outdoorsman runs a canoe and kayaking operation east of Athens on the Broad River and belongs to the river's watershed association. The state's eagle-and-flag wildlife license plate in December replaced a tag that for seven years was decorated with a bobwhite quail in a pine tree.
"Why did [the state] pick that tag? I have friends who refuse to buy it because it's so rah-rah," Moody said. "I'm a patriot, but I'm not a gun-toting, flag-waving, Bush-loving patriot."
Money from sales of the license plates — $19 of the $20 annual fee — goes to the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, which uses the funds to buy wilderness areas and pay biologists to study the state's plants and animals. The bobwhite quail tag, which was introduced in 1997, raised more than $12 million.
The new plate poses a dilemma for some environmentalists. In Georgia, as elsewhere, many of them lean to Democrat or Green Party candidates. Some see a connection between flag-waving symbols and President Bush, who they say favors big business over the environment. When pushed, many say they don't support the U.S. war effort in Iraq.
So, do Georgia environmentalists buy the new tag to "Give Wildlife a Chance," as it reads? Or do they reject what some consider an endorsement of what they oppose?
Jerry McCollum, chief executive officer of the Georgia Wildlife Federation, the state's largest conservation organization with more than 50,000 members, said he didn't like the tag when it was introduced last year. "I thought it was feeding off the patriotic mood our country was in," McCollum said.
Even so, he understands its potential as a fund-raiser. "What it's designed to do is appeal to a broad amount of people that will give money to save wildlife," McCollum said.
And that's the point, said Beth Brown, spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources. A committee of DNR staffers looked at 30 possibilities before deciding on the eagle-and-flag design. Among the choices were a sea turtle, a hummingbird, a heron in a river and an eagle in a pine tree.
The eagle-and-flag design was put on the list because the committee suspected it would be popular, Brown said. The design was the favorite of people who viewed all five on the agency's Web site. That clinched it.
"We know the hard-core environmentalists would have preferred to see [wildlife and plants] in their habitat," she said. "But you've got to think about how many pickup trucks in Georgia are going to put a pink ladyslipper on the back."
The proof is in the sales. In its first two months, the new license plate brought in $946,941 — more than half what the old tag averaged over an entire year.
The eagle-and-flag plate has outsold another Wildlife Resources Division tag — featuring a deer and bobwhite quail and aimed at preserving hunting grounds — by 49,839 to 23,895.
Some motorists who had been sporting the old quail-and-pine wildlife preservation tag complained they were unpleasantly surprised when the eagle replacement plate showed up in the mail. Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety renewal notices do not indicate the wildlife tag has been redesigned. Bald eagles are native to Georgia and one of the state's best conservation stories. They nearly had disappeared from Georgia in the 1970s. Today the birds have more than 80 known nesting areas, and their status has improved from endangered to threatened.
The new tag's picture of the majestic bird appeals to Terry Bennett of Douglas County. At the motor vehicle office in Douglasville last week, he chose the eagle-and-flag tag for his sky-blue pickup truck.
"I think it's the best looking tag we've ever had in Georgia," Bennett said.
The 53-year-old ex-Marine, who served in Vietnam, said he appreciated both the patriotic theme and the wildlife protection cause. "I don't mind paying a few dollars more."
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204/18tags.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: