OCT, 2011 "In The Crosshairs"
Oct 27, 2011
Join SCI At Our Largest
Convention Ever – Mandalay Bay and Resort in Las Vegas, NV
The SCI 40th Hunters’ Convention is just months
away, and SCI members need to get registered TODAY! SCI is looking
forward to amazing evening entertainment provided by country music
superstars Martina McBride and Trace Adkins. Each year the SCI
Hunters’ Convention brings together the largest collection of
international hunters and international outfitters, and the highest
level of sporting rifles and shotguns. Book your rooms at the
Mandalay Bay and register for the 40th Annual Hunters’
Convention in Las Vegas, http://www.showsci.com/.
SCI Foundation Closes in on One
Million Dollar Investment in Lion Conservation, Research
Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) has
announced that it is close to hitting an unprecedented milestone by
contributing nearly $1,000,000 to African lion projects for
conservation and research. "SCI Foundation has continually been a
leader in lion conservation in collaboration with the African lion
range states," said SCI Foundation President Joe Hosmer. "Our
specific research efforts have provided the best available
information on the status of lions, which hopefully will be used by
the range states to ensure well managed populations."
http://bit.ly/omKxcc.
SCI Seeks Owners and Hunters of U.S. Captive Herds of
Scimitar-Horned Oryx, Dama Gazelle and Addax
SCI’s attorneys are seeking assistance with the lawsuit SCI
recently filed to challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
2005 decision to classify captive populations of the scimitar-horned
oryx, dama gazelle and addax as endangered. SCI is working
with several owners of herds of one or more of the three species to
prepare declarations that demonstrate SCI’s and SCI members’
interest in these species and the harm that SCI and its members have
suffered and will continue to suffer due to the restrictions that
come with an endangered species classification. If you own a
herd of one or more of the three antelope species and would be
willing to provide SCI with a sworn statement to help us present our
case to the court, please contact SCI’s Director of Litigation, Anna
Seidman,
aseidman@safariclub.org or 202-543-8733. SCI’s legal team
is also looking for SCI members who have concrete plans to hunt
members of one or more of the three species from a U.S. captive herd
in the future. If you have a hunt planned for a
scimitar-horned oryx, dama gazelle or addax within the next year and
would be willing to provide a sworn statement that SCI can file with
the court, please contact Anna Seidman at the e-mail address or
telephone number listed above.
SCI Attorneys – Time to Make Your Convention Plans
SCI’s Fifth Annual Wildlife Law Continuing Legal Education
Course, “Current Issues in Domestic and International Hunting and
Wildlife Law – 2012” will take place at the SCI Convention in Las
Vegas on Friday, February 3, 2012, from 1:00 to 5:15 P.M. This
year’s the course will include four hours of legal education and
will address domestic and international issues pertaining to
sustainable use conservation, hunting, firearms, and importation
law. In addition, the course will offer one hour of ethics
education. As in past years, the registration fee for the
course will include admission to the SCI Convention for the day of
the course. Registration will be open to all attorneys
(including those not yet members of SCI). Registration is
being handled by the course’s co-sponsor, the State Bar of Nevada.
To register on-line for the course, go to
http://www.legalspan.com/nvbar/catalog.asp?ItemID=20111024-166130-111256.
Please direct all questions to Anna Seidman, SCI Director of
Litigation,
aseidman@safariclub.org or 202-543-8733.
Court Strikes Blow to Sustainable-Use Conservation of Polar
Bears
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
recently ruled against SCI’s challenges to the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s 2008 polar bear import ban. The FWS imposed
the ban when it listed the polar bear as threatened under the
Endangered Species Act. This import ban has dried up the
critical conservation benefits in Canada created by U.S. hunters,
who bring much needed funds to remote arctic communities.
These funds help make the bear even more valuable to the local
people and governments, who then support sustainable-use
conservation of the polar bears. In his October 18, 2011
Opinion upholding the ban, the Judge seemed determined to agree with
the Service’s decision no matter what. The Court simply
ignored several of SCI’s strongest arguments against the legality of
the import ban. SCI is confident that the battle to restore
polar bear imports and the conservation benefits that flow from them
is far from over. SCI is considering its appeal options.
Canada Snap Shots: A Scan of Recent Canadian Hunting-Related News
PETA produces an ad that calls a shark attack 'payback'; no
wonder a Canadian government web site has defined some animal-rights
groups as terrorists. Read the full SCI-Canada Report by going to
http://bit.ly/scZg62.