My name is Mark Jester; I am the President of the Berkshire County 

League of Sportsmen located in Pittsfield Massachusetts. The Berkshire 

County League of Sportsmen is an umbrella organization representing 20 

regional clubs and just over 3200 sportsmen and conservationists. All of 

whom have a vested interest in preserving our proud outdoor heritage and 

protecting Massachusetts rich natural resources. The delegates of the 

league represent some of the most dedicated sportsmen and sportswomen 

in the country, people who are willing to give their time, effort and resources 

to insure that their fellow sportsmen and future generations will be able to 

enjoy the pursuits that we have all had the opportunity to enjoy. The BCLS 

is considered to be one of the strongest, most effective and united 

organizations in the state. 

I am here today to talk to you as their representative about the EPA's 

proposed Clean Air Act and the effects of Carbon Pollution on 

Massachusetts habitat and wildlife. 

I have been hunting and fishing in Massachusetts for over 45 years. Both 

my father and grandfather introduced me and brothers and sisters to the 

outdoors as kids. My grandparents lived next door to the Lanesboro Town 

brook when I was growing up, one of Berkshire County's best kept secret 

for fishing spots up until this moment. Each spring on "Opening Day" of 
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fishing season, every kid that lived in Lanesboro, would be lined up elbow 

to elbow trying to catch the big brook and rainbow trout that you could see 

from the narrow banks leading up to opening day. Each kid dreaming 

about catching the biggest fish in the stream, so they could proudly show it 

to their mom dad afterwards. Today, there is a mercury poison warning on 

that body of water and any fish caught should be released back into the 

polluted waters. In Massachusetts, there are 125 bodies of water that have 

mercury warnings on them. The fish that are caught in these lakes and 

ponds cannot be eaten and effectively all have become unofficial Catch & 

Release Areas. In these financially troubled times, many sportsmen are 

forced to provide their families dinner from these polluted waters. 

As a leader in the states' sporting community, I am often called upon by 

young parents asking about the waters in Western MA., are the fish that 

their kids catch safe to eat? More times than not, I have to say "NO!" 

My first hunting experience was going after rabbits with my grandfather and 

his tri colored beagle named "Topper." It's one of my most favorite 

memories of all time. Hearing "OI'e Top" as my grandfather called him, 

bay, as he chased the rabbits round and round through the hedge rows of 

my uncle's farm. These experiences I have now passed on over the years 

to my children, fishing in the town brook, rabbit hunting with my own 
beagles, and now, hopefully, I'll be able to do the same with my four 

grandchildren who are still too young to take out to the woods and water. 

But I have to say I am doubtful I will be able to do so if things don't change. 

Sportsmen are on the front line of conservation every day and have been 

for well over 200 years. We are in the woods and on the water every single 

day of the year. We are the watchdogs and whistle blowers when it comes 

to protecting the environment. I am here today to tell you that there are 

problems, big problems with our ecosystem, and the effects on our wildlife 

are severe. 

A few examples: 

• There are two species of cottontails in Massachusetts, the Eastern 

Cottontail and New England Cottontail. In June 2004, the U.S. Fish & 

Wildlife Service (USFWS) found that there was substantial need for 

protection of the New England cottontail under the U.S. Endangered 

Species Act and they initiated a review. In 2006, USFWS determined 

that a federal listing was warranted, but pass over them due to other 

species listing priorities. However, the New England cottontail was 

given the highest priority in the Northeast. The New England 
cottontail is in decline due to the loss of favorable habitat, habitat that 

is being destroyed by a warming climate. 

• The comeback of the striped bass is in jeopardy. The Striped Bass 

has been heralded by sportsmen throughout as one of the great 

conservation success stories of the last 100 years. A highly 

regulated season with strict limits, Striped Bass fishing is one of the 

largest growing sectors in the sportsmen ranks. As a fisherman, one 

of my favorite past times is Striper fishing in the spring and fall out on 

Cape Cod. Stripers are one of just a few big game fish that require 

such vastly different habitats. A warming climate is leading to a rise in 

sea-levels that are destroying coastal marshes that serve as 

nurseries for juvenile striped bass. Warmer waters have a cascade of 

ill effects on the fish. Stripers absorb toxic chemicals more quickly in 

water that has higher temperatures, and science has shown that 

striped bass with higher loads of Dioxins have a lower reproduction 

rate. 

• As a final example, waterfowl hunting is as traditional as it gets for 

sportsmen. You have a dog, a shotgun and a fast moving quarry. 

The Black Duck is the Holy Grail for duck hunters. They are big, fast 

and brawny. The Black duck has been identified as particularly 
susceptible to the loss of breeding habitat associated with the ever 

increasing warmer climate. The highest breeding densities are found 

in the northeast, and Black ducks utilize a variety of habitat for 

breeding, such as alkaline marshes, acid bogs, lakes, and streams 

along with fresh, brackish and salt water marshes. Rising sea levels 

from warming climates spell disaster for this fragile species. 

In 2006, 500,000 anglers and 70,000 hunters came to Massachusetts to 

hunt and fish on its lands and waters. Fishing and hunting are not just 

recreational pastimes; they are also a major contributor to the 

Massachusetts economy. These 570,000 sportsmen and women generated 

over $800 million in revenue in that year alone. However, this rich 

community of fish and game, and the economy that depends on it, is at risk 

from a warming world. For Massachusetts sportsmen, healthy populations 

of wildlife are necessary to support our economy and our outdoor 

inheritance. 
The EPA must be allowed to carry out its legal obligation to control carbon 

pollution that causes climate change from our country's biggest polluters, 

and Congress must oppose any and all attempts to undermine Clean Air 

Act programs. 

I leave you with this quote from former Republican Massachusetts 

Congressman Silvio Conte from Pittsfield. It was delivered at a meeting of 

the delegates in 1984 and has become our mantra: "What the problem of 

preservation boils down to is this ---- ducks can't vote. Trees can't vote. 

Neither can salmon, flowers, mountains or rivers. It's incumbent upon us as 

sportsmen to take on this weighty responsibility to serve this as our 

greatest constituency"