If remorse could reverse roguishness, Oregon Trout would be off the hook.
But alas, the conservation group came to its senses a little too late. In the excitement of a fund-raising opportunity, these fish lovers took some bad bait. As part of its spring auction, Oregon Trout is raffling off (at $100 a ticket) one of the most heinous causes of global warming: a dreaded sport utility vehicle. The '98 Land Rover Discovery is typical of SUVs' disastrous environmental impact. It gets 14 miles per gallon in the city and 18 on the highway and comes with leather seats (remember the "Cows Kill Salmon" bumper sticker?). We realize that most SUVs never leave the safety of freshly paved asphalt, but the commercials used to sell them promote the notion that the best way to enjoy the wilderness is to drive over it. If anyone needs to get off-road, it's an angler, but we expect more environmental consciousness from a group that says it's "dedicated to protecting Oregon's wild fish population." Oregon Trout Director Geoff Pampush was appropriately contrite when contacted last week. Pampush says one of the club's members owns an auto dealership and offered the group a deal. In retrospect, he says, it was a mistake. "I don't think we should have done it. It projects the wrong image," he says. "It's hard to deny that there's a sizzle about it, but it doesn't feel right." |
