DEC, 2011 "In The Crosshairs"

In The Crosshairs Newsletter

Dec 06, 2011

  SCI Fights to Protect Hunting In New Jersey

December 5th marked the start of New Jersey’s black bear hunting season. As they promised, anti-hunting organizations within the state held protests at various game and fish check stations, but it appears that the protests involved only a handful of people. SCI went on the record on Fox News to fight for sportsmen and women, hunting and the conservation of New Jersey’s wildlife. Read the story and watch the video here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/05/new-jersey-black-bear-hunt-is-on-despite-animal-rights-protests/.  SCI, together with the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, helped make this year’s bear hunt a reality.  Not only did SCI go to bat for New Jersey’s hunt in court, but in its ruling upholding the legality of the State's black bear management policies, the New Jersey appellate court relied on several of SCI’s legal arguments. Every day SCI is fighting against well-funded organizations that seek to stop hunting at any cost. Please consider a contribution to Safari Club International’s Hunter Defense Fund today, DONATE!

 

  Join SCI-PAC for the 2012 Luncheon - Special Guest: Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President

Please Save the Date for this year's SCI-PAC Luncheon on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. We are excited to announce Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, as our Guest Speaker. Table Sponsors are asked to contribute $1,500 and Single Tickets are $100. The price will increase for individual tickets after December 19th so hurry now to reserve your seat. Click here to view the official invitation, please return order form along with check made payable to SCI-PAC: Kathy Butler, Safari Club International, 4800 Gates Pass Road, Tucson, AZ 85745, Fax: (520) 617-1430 and/or kbutler@safariclub.org.

 

  MidwayUSA To Sponsor the 2012 SCI National Convention

MidwayUSA, a catalog and internet retailer offering JUST ABOUT EVERYTHINGSM for Shooting, Reloading, Gunsmithing and Hunting, is pleased to attend the 2012 Safari Club International (SCI) convention as a Corporate Sponsor of the show. "Without organizations like Safari Club International to play an important role in effective conservation efforts, our children and grandchildren won't be able to enjoy hunting and shooting sports," says Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. Read the full story http://www.midwayusa.com/general.mvc/index/press_releases~midwayusa-sponsors-2012-sci-convention.

 

  Ninth Circuit Keeps Yellowstone Grizzly on the Threatened Species List

Despite the best efforts of SCI, the Federal government, Montana, Wyoming and others, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently ruled that the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears must remain on the threatened species list for now.  On a single ground, the Court upheld the 2010 ruling by Montana District Court Judge Molloy that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service improperly delisted the grizzly bear.  The Court agreed with the District Court that the Service had not properly explained how projected declines in Whitebark Pine seeds, a primary food source for the bear, would not threaten the species.  The Court did reverse Judge Molloy on one issue raised by SCI and others, that the existing regulatory mechanisms were sufficient to remove the grizzly from the threatened list.  Unfortunately, the Court’s concerns about the Whitebark Pine issue are sufficient to vacate the delisting.  What comes next is uncertain at this time.  Judge Molloy and FWS, with input from SCI and others, will now have to determine how to proceed. 

 

  Department of the Interior Protects Recreational Shooting Opportunities on Public Lands

A recent memorandum from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to the Director of the Bureau of Land Management states that supporting opportunities for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting are a priority of the Department of the Interior. “By facilitating access, multiple use, and safe activities on public lands, the Bureau of Land Management helps ensure that the vast majority of the 245 million acres it oversees are open and remain open to recreational shooting.” This memo was issued after SCI and other sportsmen’s organizations raised serious concerns about draft policy that would have pushed sport shooters off of public lands. To read the full memo, click here.

 

  Canada Adds Polar Bear to Species of Special Concern List; No Impact on Hunting

The Canadian government has added the polar bear to its list of “species of special concern” under its Species At Risk Act (“SARA”), the rough equivalent of the United States’ Endangered Species Act (“ESA”).  Under SARA, this listing requires the preparation of a management plan to prevent the species from becoming endangered or threatened.  The special concern listing, however, does not result in any constraints on activities affecting the animal, such as hunting.  A listing of the species under SARA as threatened or endangered, as some anti-hunting groups wanted, might have curtailed sustainable use hunting of this species.  SCI will continue to monitor this situation in Canada, while fighting in the United States to restore the ability of U.S. hunters to import polar bear trophies from Canada.  SCI is appealing both the court decision regarding the listing of the polar bear under the ESA and the one on the imposition of an import ban.

 

 

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