KTA Advocacy Day Reflections

by Raymond Arke, KTA Program Aide

On June 6, KTA took to the state capitol in Harrisburg. Eight of us—Joe Neville, Brynn Furnace, Paul Shaw, Bob Merrill, Barbara VanHorn, Chris Zuzack, Jim Stickney, and me—got together to let legislators know KTA’s opposition to removing the ban on Sunday hunting.
 
There was some nervousness and apprehension, as members don’t normally frequent the corridors of power; however, Joe laid out a strategic game plan for us to follow. We met with 7 state senators and representatives or their staff throughout the day. Groups of 2 or 3 went to each meeting to make our case on keeping Sunday hunting banned. A couple of us were even able to meet one of the representatives right off the House floor. We also covered almost every office in the capitol, dropping off packets of information outlining our position for every legislator.
 
We were all received well in the meetings, with each legislator and staff member listening to our concerns, and we were happy that most agreed with our position. However, those who were ambivalent on the issue know they’ll be facing strong future opposition. It didn’t take long for us to feel comfortable chatting up movers and shakers.
 
The day was perfect for visiting Harrisburg since it was Dairy Day, and members of our group gratefully took advantage of the free Farm Show milkshakes.
 
All in all, our visit was quite successful. By taking our concerns to the people in power, we helped make all of the voices of Pennsylvania hikers heard.