May 14, 2007 "In The Crosshairs"

May 14, 2007

Namibia Update

Last week SCI brought you a story about leopard trophies from Namibia being confiscated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because they were tagged incorrectly. According to the TJ Safari Weekly Newsletter, the Namibia Professional Hunting Association jumped right in to set things straight. They released the following statement: ‘It came to the fore that U.S. Fish and Wildlife had confiscated two separate leopard skins exported by Namibia due to the apparent use of incorrect identification tags. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has been making use of the current tagging system for the past fifteen 15 years. Those leopards exported with the old tags will still be accepted. MET has now submitted a new tag for approval by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. In the event of your clients leopard trophy being confiscated during the interim period, please advise The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (Elly Hamunyela) immediately to assist you with the issue.’ For any further questions, you can contact NAPHA directly at napha@mweb.com.na. (Source: TJ Safari)

SCI Victorious in Alaska Federal Subsistence Hearing

Safari Club International is victorious in the latest battle over Alaska ’s Federal Subsistence program. On May 10, 2007, the Federal Subsistence Board voted unanimously to designate 30 percent of the seats on every Regional Advisory Council to representatives of the recreational and commercial hunting and fishing interests. The decision was made at a special public hearing to determine how to balance the membership of the councils in order to provide representation from groups other than subsistence users. This balance was mandated by previous court rulings and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. SCI has been fighting this battle with the Federal Subsistence Board for nine years, ensuring that the recreational hunting and fishing community has been represented. Anna Seidman, SCI's Chief Litigation Counsel testified at the hearing, explaining that the only way the recreational hunting community could attain true representation on these councils is by the participation by sport hunters who share the interests of the sport hunting community.

Migratory Birds Funded

“Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne…celebrated International Migratory Bird Day by announcing nearly $3.9 million in federal grants to aid neotropical migratory bird conservation in the United States, Canada and 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide the grants to conservation partnerships in those countries. Partners will, in turn, match those funds with nearly $18 million that will be used to conduct research, monitoring, and management programs for migratory bird populations, as well as related outreach and education. There are 341 species of Neotropical migratory birds that breed in the United States and Canada and winter in Latin America. Examples of these birds include species of plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows. Many of these birds are presently in decline, and several species are protected as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established the matching grants program to fund projects promoting the conservation of Neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Appropriations began in 2002 and the money is to be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and education. By law, at least 75 percent of the money goes to projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada while the remaining 25 percent can go to projects in the United States.” (Source: USFWS)

SAFARI Magazine Wins Media Achievement Award

SAFARI Magazine, Safari Club International's flagship publication, has won a Diamond Statue of Distinction in the Spring 2007 Media Achievement Awards competition. The magazine was chosen from among over 1,600 entries, with only the top five percent recognized as award winners. This competition raises the bar of excellence. Entries are judged on a point system by award-winning, highly qualified professionals in the communications industry.

Two New Websites Focus on Wildlife

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has launched two new websites dedicated to wildlife. The www.wildlifeactionplans.org website provides detailed information on the state wildlife action plans and partnerships forming to ensure their implementation, and the revamped www.teaming.com will be the online home for the Teaming with Wildlife coalition and provide information on the need for new and greater funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. Any questions or comments can be directed to teaming@fishwildlife.org. (Source: AFWA)

Opportunity For All

“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Shane Mahoney, a renowned wildlife biologist from Newfoundland, have created a DVD entitled " Opportunity for All." The DVD tells the story of the North American Model for Wildlife Conservation and spreads the remarkable story that is the basis for our conservation ethic. It's a story we all should know and one that all hunters and anglers can take great pride in. Bulk orders of 50 DVDs or more can be purchased by contacting Jennie Wright at 1-800-225-5355 or jwright@rmef.org. The cost for 50 or more is $6.00 per DVD, plus shipping. Orders of fewer than 50 DVDs are $11.99 each, plus shipping and can be purchased by calling the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's membership services at 1-800-225-5355 or going online at www.elkfoundation.org” (Source: RMEF / Outdoor Wire)

Florida Gators

“ Florida wildlife officials may be on the verge of allowing rural and suburban homeowners who find alligators less than four feet long on their property to capture and kill them rather than pay a licensed trapper. Individuals would have to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for approval to kill alligators on their land. This also gives officials the opportunity to talk callers out of killing the gators themselves. Wildlife officials have yet to determine how homeowners would be allowed to kill or capture small alligators.” (Source: Outdoor Wire)