JUNE, 2013 "In The Crosshairs"
June 21, 2013
SCI
Foundation, Mossy Oak Team-Up on Conservation Education
Tucson, AZ: This summer one of America’s
foremost conservation organizations and most popular camouflage
companies have teamed-up to offer educators a unique hands-on
opportunity to learn about the North American Model of Wildlife
Management. Safari Club International Foundation (SCI
Foundation) and Mossy Oak are conducting a professional development
course for teachers from across the nation and Canada in a Wyoming
wilderness setting. The American Wilderness Leadership School
(AWLS), located in Jackson, Wyoming, offers a college-level course
in “conservation” – understanding natural resources management and,
more specifically, management of wildlife.
http://firstforwildlife.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/sci-foundation-mossy-oak-team-up-on-conservation-education/
Hunting Rights Fall By Wayside
“I recently had the
opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., as president of the
Western Montana Chapter of Safari Club International. Annually, we
meet with elected officials discussing legislation important to
hunters. We have over 200 people from SCI involved in such
meetings.” Read the full letter to the editor at
http://bit.ly/15P9qRg.
SCI’s
Michigan Chapters Honored by MUCC As Conservationist Organization of
the Year
“Safari Club International’s (SCI) Michigan Chapters were
collectively selected by Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC)
as the Conservationist Organization of the Year. The
Conservationist Organization of the Year award is the MUCC’s most
prestigious award.”
http://firstforhunters.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/scis-michigan-chapters-honored-by-mucc-as-conservationist-organization-of-the-year/
Call for Comments: Wolf Delisting
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed to remove all
gray wolves in the lower 48 states from the Endangered Species list
(except wolves of the Southwest or Mexican wolves). SCI agrees
with the Service that no further gray wolf recovery is necessary and
that the gray wolf does not qualify for endangered species.
SCI encourages its members to submit comment letters on this very
important issue.” Read how you can submit your comments by going to
this link:
http://firstforhunters.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/call-for-comments-wolf-delisting/
Online Governor’s Permit Auction to Benefit Conservation
in Alaska
“Safari Club International Foundation
(SCI Foundation) is hosting for the first time ever, an online
auction to sell two highly prized Alaska Governor’s Permits. The
first Alaska Governor’s Permit is an opportunity to hunt a Kenai
Mountains Caribou (Barren Ground). The second Alaska Governor’s
Permit is for the chance to hunt a free-ranging Plains Bison from
the coveted Delta Bison Herd.” Start bidding today:
http://www.liveauctionworld.com/Alaska-Tag-Auction_as27702.
Michigan’s
Inaugural Wolf Hunt Debuts in November
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on May 8 signed
a bill empowering the Natural Resources Commission to decide whether
to allow wolf hunting. A day after Snyder signed Senate Bill
288 into law, the commission, on a 6 to 1 vote, approved regulations
for Michigan's inaugural wolf hunt this fall, making Michigan the
sixth state to authorize the hunting of wolves since federal
protections were removed. It set the total harvest at 43
animals.”
http://www.natlawreview.com/article/michigan-s-inaugural-wolf-hunt-debuts-november
SAM Calls for Constitutional Amendment to Ban Citizen
Initiatives on Fish & Wildlife
“Of all of the many political rivals in
Augusta, there are few more bitterly opposed to each other than the
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Sportsman's
Alliance of Maine (SAM) Historically, the animal protection
side has had a minimal influence on Augusta lawmakers, and SAM has
been very effective at mobilizing its passionate base.”
(Source: Free Press Online). Read about how HSUS is trying to
subvert state wildlife management in Maine:
http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=52&SubSectionID=78&ArticleID=26621
Hunting, Fishing License Fee Increases Approved by Michigan
Senate
“LANSING - Licenses for hunting and
fishing generally would get more expensive through a bill approved
by the Michigan Senate.
House Bill 4668 was approved 24-14 on Wednesday in the
Republican-led Senate after an amendment was added aimed at
providing more transparency about how the state’s fisheries
department will spend money from the fee increases.” SCI’s Michigan
Chapters were very supportive of this initiative to improve
conservation funding in their state.
http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/06/hunting_fishing_licenses_michi.html
Additional
Hunting Opportunities in State Parks, Forests Now Available
HARRISBURG, Pa., June 19, 2013 —
PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Deer hunters now can apply for permits
affording more hunting opportunities in state forestlands and state
parks through the Game Commission's Deer Management Assistance
Program, or DMAP. DMAP allows landowners to request and offer
permits to encourage antlerless harvests on their property, enabling
DCNR and private landowners to more effectively manage white-tailed
deer populations and curtail damage to forests and crops.
http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/06/19/4959559/additional-hunting-opportunities.html
Shumlin Signs Sportsmen’s Act of 2013
Joined Friday by sportsmen and women at
the Barre Fish and Game Club, Governor Peter Shumlin signed the
Sportsmen’s Act of 2013, legislation spearheaded by the Fish &
Wildlife Department in coordination with members of the Legislature
and many hunting, fishing, trapping, and other traditional interest
groups.
http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/june/shumlin-signs-sportsmen%E2%80%99s-act-2013
Information
Needed To Help Lobby Airlines Trade Association & TSA
All SCI members are encouraged to participate in
an online survey about their experiences traveling with various
airlines and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Please participate in the survey so that SCI can lobby the airlines
and TSA to improve their performance for the traveling hunter.
No other membership organization represents more hunters than SCI.
Please help add your voice to the story so that airlines and the TSA
can be held accountable:
http://bit.ly/SCIairlineSurvey.
Upcoming Webinar for NAS Report on Wild Horses and Burros
“The National Academies of Sciences will be hosting that last of a
series of free public
webinars June 26th at 1:00 pm EST to brief the
general public on their recent report titled Using Science to
Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward.
Dr. Guy Palmer, chair of the authoring committee, will give a
30-minute presentation followed by a question and answer period.
The report reviews the science that underpins the Bureau of Land
Management’s oversight of free-ranging horses and burros on federal
public lands in the western U.S., concluding that constructive
changes could be implemented. Among other things, findings in
the report indicate that horse and burro populations are
experiencing population growth rates of of 15 to 20% annually -
a level that is unsustainable and is detrimental to healthy horse
populations as well as healthy ecosystems. The report
summarizes fertility control methods used to slow horse and burro
population growth, scientific techniques to better estimate
population size and predicting the effects of management practices
in order to maintain genetically diverse, healthy populations while
maintaining rangeland productivity.
Register on-line today for the June 26th
webinar! Additional materials are available online, including a
free PDF of this
report,
an FAQ,
and
an
interactive map of herd management areas. For more
information regarding this report from the National Academies of
Sciences, visit the
project website.”