An e-mail from D.C.:

A long time NRO reader and former Bushie at EPA. I can’t tell you how many times among my conservative friends, I have argued the merits of promoting conservation as a conservative cause, including the construction of “fish ladders.” I cringe when I hear Eric Cantor and other GOP leaders railing against this and a handful of other conservation projects as “wasteful” government spending. Not only are the hook’n bullet crowd one of the largest voting constituences in the hinterlands, they spend billions of dollars every year on hunting and fishing and helping to support local communities. This is a wise investment not only for the fish but for the voting and recreating public.