On Sun, 10 Aug 1997 16:25:28 -0700 mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
writes:

>That's an average drop of 2.6 million people per year in that period,
>from
>around a third of the US population to a quarter in only five years, a
>
>significant demographic alteration. I'd be interested in seeing if the
>rate
>was constant over that period, or how its dynamics worked (with the
>nasty
>feeling that the rate's accelerating if the local scene is
>indicative). So
>13 million people in five years is a significant loss. Any comparable
>change
>for consumptive participants, such as hunters and anglers? Any
>reasoning
>behind such a large drop?

Hi MIchael:

Here's what the FWS survey had to say about consumptive participants:

>The survey, which is conducted for the Service by the U.S. Census
>Bureau, showed that the number of hunters and anglers 16 years
>and older stayed relatively constant during the past 5 years.
>There were 35.2 million anglers in 1996 compared with 35.6
>million in 1991. Likewise, there were 14 million hunters
>compared with 14.1 million in 1991. Overall, the number of
>anglers and hunters fell slightly to 39.7 million from 40 million
>in 1991.
>
>Total expenditures by anglers and hunters rose 69 percent during
>the 5-year period to $67.9 billion. Spending by anglers rose 47
>percent to $36.2 billion from $24.6 billion in 1991 while hunters
>spent $17.7 billion, up 75 percent from $10.1 billion in 1991.

No reasoning was given. Further reports are expected from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service later in the year.

I was actually very surprised by the drop in the number of
non-consumptive participants. In the past five years, our extended
family has added 5 birders, including myself. I became interested first,
then got my two brothers, my nephew, and my best friend involved. My son
and his wife, and my two grandkids are casually interested, and I hope to
involve my sister in Massachusetts when we go birding for the first time
together next weekend.

I assumed that this was a normal trend, and that if I was involving
everyone around me, so was everyone else. Of course, I have a tendency
to get my family involved in my life quite a bit!

Perhaps there was a surge in the number of birders before this, and this
is now a leveling-off period. When an activity becomes "popular," or the
"in thing," there is often a surge of participation, which levels off
after awhile. For example, the number of amateur astronomers grew
"astronomically" :-) during the return of Halley's Comet. This
predictably dropped a good deal when the comet left our vicinity. Some
of the new astronomers stayed with the interest, but there were nowhere
near the numbers as at the comet's peak.

Cathi Pelletier
Waterbury, CT
Heronwing at juno.com
Long Live Operation Renegade!