SCI Joins Defense of Gray Wolf Delisting  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2007

Washington, D.C. – Safari Club International heads to court to defend the rights of sportsmen and women in the Great Lakes region.

On May 30, 2007, a D.C. federal court granted SCI's Motion to Intervene in defense of a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's rule removing gray wolves of the Western Great Lakes from the endangered species list.

SCI's participation will involve collaboration with the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association. This powerful team of sportsmen’s groups has been given full party status in the litigation.

The federal court also rejected the animal rights groups’ attempt to limit the briefing that SCI will be allowed to submit in support of delisting.

SCI President Ralph Cunningham said, “the court's ruling today paves the way for SCI to lend its knowledge and expertise to the defense of an important step in wolf recovery. SCI will help the court understand that the Endangered Species Act was designed to acknowledge the recovery of species and to return management of recovered species to the states.”

Contact:
Ken Schwartz
Governmental Affairs and
Communications Manager
kschwartz@sci-dc.org
(202) 543-8733

###

SCI-First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI's 179 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 13 other countries. SCI's proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.