European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 28, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Giving the gift that lasts a lifetime one of the Best things about being Parent is getting to see the world through Achild s eyes again. The simplest things can look fresh and fascinating. Children Are especially curious about nature. A Butterfly in the Garden a flock of migrating Birds a tree whose leaves have turned color All can be exciting discoveries for a child. Most children Are eager to learn about the natural world. Taking the time to help them or to learn with them can create Bonds that will last a lifetime. It also passes on important ideas and values to the next generation. For outdoors enthusiasts love of nature and respect for the Earth s fragile environment Are Core values. Implicit in these concepts is an understanding for Man s place in the Complex natural order. The people who toss around Buzz words like environmental extremists or ridicule efforts to save threatened plants or animals miss the Basic Point. If we pollute Poison and Clear Cut this planet ultimately we threaten ourselves. The spotted owl the Snail Darter the Snake River Salmon Are merely canaries in the Coal mine. Like Many people i Learned my love of the outdoors from my dad. It was never a philosophy that was formally spelled out. Rather it was an Outlook a feeling for the Waters Woods Fields and marshes and the creatures that inhabit them. It was communicated implicitly during Many hours spent together in Duck blinds boats and other places under the open sky. Sometimes conditions were wet cold or uncomfortable but these were minor inconveniences More than offset by the pure pleasure of watching a Winter Sunrise bringing Home a Brace of ducks for dinner or feeling the Power of a big fish on the end of the line. Always there was a sense of Marvel at nature s Beauty and complexity As Well As its cruelty. Who can watch bluefish ripping through a school of menhaden a Gull picking clean the carcass of a Duck without understanding that death is part of life and any non vegetarian human kills other animals either directly or by proxy to eat. The conservation ethic preserving the environment is also a part of this Outlook. The greatest threat to wildlife is habitat destruction. Once a wetland River or Forest is filled in poisoned or paved Over it almost never can be replaced. And As sportsmen we should take Only As Many fish or As much game As we will eat. A couple of years ago a Friend who is an army chaplain articulated this sportsmen s conservation ethic simply and clearly this world was Given to us in Trust and we should All try to give Back More than we take from it. A love of the outdoors is one of the most enduring gifts a Parent can give. Thank you dad. I Only Hope that i do As Fine a Job passing it on to my son and daughter. A new european sportsmen s organization was recently created. The federation of Fly Fishers Europe was called into existence at an International gathering in Ghent Belgium oct. 17-18. Among those attending were representatives from Germany the Netherlands the United kingdom and Sweden. Internationally known Fly Fisherman and Fly tier Bas Verschoor of the Hague Netherlands was elected to a four year term As the organization s first president. The off Europe will be associated with its american namesake the federation of Fly Fishers. The american off has been a Leader in promoting conservation and serving As a voice for Fly fishermen on topics important to them. It has been one of the leading advocates of catch and release fishing As a management tool. Verschoor says the off Europe will retain the original off s Aims of conservation education and restoration but will focus on european issues. Part of Verschoor s duties As european president will be coordinating relations among individual clubs National subsidiaries and the european organization. Currently there Are four German american off clubs that will Likely become part of the new european federation. Anyone interested in forming a new club or obtaining other information can Contact Verschoor at Brase Daal 80, 2553ng the Hague Netherlands Telephone 070 3976855. The Rheinland Pfalz land Council will hold a meeting 6 30 . Nov. 11 at the Kaiserslautern Rod and gun club. The main business will be the election of a new president. Rod and gun club members living in the German state of Rheinland Pfalz Are eligible to vote. A German Rod maker and fishing tackle retailer will set up fishing trips to Czechoslovakia s Moravia Region. The area features excellent Angling for Trout Grayling Pike Carp and other species. Prices Are comparatively Low and much of the Countryside is wild and unspoiled. For More information Contact Theodor Maschewsky Postrach 1664, w-8508 Wendelstein 2, Telephone 09129 6184. Maschewsky Speaks fluent English. The German american heartland Fly Fishers will hold their monthly meeting 2 . Nov. 7 at the Hanau Rod and gun club. The Fulda Rod and gun club Sells permits for a 2.2 mile stretch of the Fulda River. The Rod and gun club stretch extends upstream and downstream from the Village of walkers about six Miles from Fulda. The Fulda Rod and gun club is on Downs Barracks in Fulda. Cost of the permits is $5 per Day $10 per weekend $25 a month and $60 a year. The club also Sells permits for several German Waters in the nearby area. For More information Call 0661-71375. This column can be a useful tool for sharing information among outdoor enthusiasts. If you have questions or information about outdoor activities in your area or just want to talk about your particular interest Contact Norm Zeigler stars and stripes unit 29480, Box 265, Apo a 09211, Telephone ets 348 8230 or civilian 06155-601230 in Germany. Finding fish by satellite by Bill Schulz the associated press we put the Chevy Blazer wheel hard right and As returned the tightest turn i could manage the Black dots on the Little tracking screen showed a Clear Circle. Five satellites 10,900 Miles up were giving the Lowrance Lms-300 Gas receiver information accurate enough for it to track our movement that closely. The satellites Are part of the defense department s global positioning system a network of 18 Nav Star satellites each circling the Globe twice daily. Six More Are still to be launched. It s the technology of the persian Gulf War now available to fishermen. If the air Force allows Gas to operate As designed a Quality receiver can plot your location within 6 feet. When the defense department activates selective availability a random changing of the satellites signals the accuracy decreases to As poor As 100 Yards said Lowrance president Darrell Lowrance. The system however has accuracy of 10 to 30 feet even with a in operation. For a Fisherman running his Bass boat at 60 knots a 100-Yard error can Lead to a Quick trip up the Bank. Sport fishing goes digital with a global positioning system receiver an Angler can determine the boat s current position or map out the Way to a previously recorded location. Ii if on Board Gas receiver i calculate location and a velocity of boat. Nav Star global positioning system 1 satellites f Gas satellites orbit 10,900 Miles above the Earth emitting navigation signals. We need to convince Washington there is no need for a . The accuracy is so Good Many systems Are on the Market and More makers Rushing to Cash in on what the Industry sees As a potential $6 billion sales Bonanza by 1996. The Lowrance system is made up of a receiver and a display unit. The receiver is about the size of a 6-Inch loaf of French bread. The display unit at first glance looks much like a depth sounder display. Inside the receiver is a Rockwell International Nav Core v. It can read the Low frequency radio message from one to five satellites and plot its exact position in relation to each. When we turned the unit on it took 43 seconds to lock onto and display the tracks to five satellites. The system uses extremely Short wavelengths of radio frequencies. It s almost totally immune to interference . Utilizing the Lms-300 Gas  an Angler can plot his position on a readout As Small As 1 -20th of a mile or As Large As 100 Miles. The Angler can plot his favorite Lake into the system s computer. It can set in 100 Way Points to Mark As Many As 20 courses around the Lake and add up to 1,000 event markers which can be anything from a Brush pile to a series of dots that outline an underwater Point. It also will accept four danger signals spots you want to avoid. You can build your own map set up your own trolling patterns . The unit also will remember a previously set position and show you your current route and the route to that position. The next step is Lake maps on computer disc if the Gas works without daily tinkering by the air Force. Charts of lakes will be available on disc. When the Boater moves to try a different Lake he simply plugs a disc map of the new Lake into his Gas receiver and punches the local latitude and Longitude into the display unit. Within minutes the system will not Only display the Lake but also the unit s position on the Lake or launch ramp. Then it will plot your position on the Lake As you prowl drop offs underwater ledges or sunken roads helping guide the Angler to where the fish Are. Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday october 28, 1992