MAR, 2013 "In The Crosshairs"
March 22, 2013
Register for Congressional Lobby Day by April 5th
– Use the Attached Form
The largest annual event in Washington,
D.C. that focuses solely on hunting & conservation is happening May
9, 2013. Safari Club International will organize over 200 visits to
the Congressional Offices of House and Senate Leadership, so that
you, as a hunter can speak with your elected officials about
hunters’ rights! Critically important legislation is now being
debated in the Halls of Congress. Sportsmen and women need to
protect their second amendment right to own firearms, ensure that
access to public lands is there for future generations of hunters,
and guarantee that government regulations do not kick the families
of hunters off their land. Help Safari Club advocate for all hunting
on May 9th. Please use the form attached here to register today! If
you are a chapter president - share this invitation to lobby
Congress with all your members. Now, more than ever, it is important
that hunters speak with the strongest voice. By registering before
April 5th, you will be eligible for a drawing to WIN
a Kimber Pistol CDP II, .45 ACP. Return the attached form as soon as
you can to join Safari Club International on May 9th when we will go
to Capitol Hill to lobby on behalf of the 13 million Americans who
hunt.
American Hunters: Necessary to Save African Lions
“A
recent article in the New York Times has drawn
attention to the plight of the lion population in Tanzania and the
part that American hunters have in saving the species. The article,
penned by Tanzanian Wildlife Director Alexander N. Songorwa, is
paradoxically titled ‘Saving Lions by Killing Them.’ Songorwa states
that while the lion population in his country is not endangered
(according to him, Tanzania has roughly 40 percent of all lions in
Africa and the biggest concentration in the world), a loss of
American hunters would be devastating to conservation efforts.” Read
the full article at
http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/american-hunters-necessary-to-save-african-lions/.
The 16th Conference of the
CITES Convention officially ended on March 14th, and the
Safari Club International (SCI) and Safari Club International
Foundation (SCI Foundation) delegations were elated with the
outcomes. Polar bear was not up-listed, processes of handling
hunting trophy importation were clarified that will reduce seizures,
proposals of zero quotas and trade bans on hunting trophies were
defeated, and measures to end the poaching of rhinos while avoiding
burdensome regulation of legitimate hunting were accepted. The next
CITES conference will be held in South Africa in 2016. SCI and SCI
Foundation are already anticipating what issues will surface in
2016. To read a complete list of CITES updates, check out the SCI
Foundation blog.
http://firstforwildlife.wordpress.com.
CSF Hosts Breakfast Briefing on Sportsmen's Economic Impact
Report
“March 20, 2013 (Washington, DC)
- Amidst a busy morning on Capitol Hill, the
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) hosted a breakfast
briefing for a crowded room, which included eleven Members of
Congress, congressional staff, policy makers, and sportsmen-industry
representatives. CSF President Jeff Crane was joined by bipartisan
members of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (CSC) and leaders
from the sportsmen's community in a dialogue on the positive effects
sportsmen's activities have on the American economy and the future
of fish and wildlife conservation.” This breakfast briefing was made
possible by Title Sponsors: the Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies, Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow, Cabela's and Safari
Club International. The Sportsmen’s Economic Impact Report was paid
for in large part by Safari Club International. Read more:
http://www.sportsmenslink.org/the-media-room/news/csf-hosts-breakfast-briefing-on-sportsmens-economic-impact-report.
SCI Chapters Support Increased Hunting Opportunities in
North Carolina
The Carolinas Chapter and the NC Triangle
Chapter of North Carolina are supporting legislation in their state
to increase hunting opportunities. Current laws limit hunting to
only six days a week. Senate Bill 224 and House Bill 360,
introduced by the NC Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator Buck Newton
and Rep. Brian Brown, would allow hunting on private lands every day
of the week. The Chapters encourage all the hunters in the state of
North Carolina to contact their state representatives and voice
support immediately.
SCI Opposing Legislation in Minnesota to Halt Wolf
Hunting
Safari Club International has voiced its
opposition to legislation in the Minnesota State Senate and House
that would place a moratorium on wolf hunting within the state for
five years. The legislation, which is being championed by HSUS and
others, would be a step backwards for wolf management in the entire
region. The anti-hunting organizations and supporters of the bill
ignore the state’s wolf management plan and the scientific
evaluation that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted when
they delisted the Western Great Lakes wolf population.
SCI Moves to Intervene in Wyoming Wolf Delisting Cases
SCI, together with the National Rifle
Association, has moved to intervene to defend the delisting of
Wyoming’s wolf population. Three different coalitions of animal
rights groups have filed three individual suits to challenge the
delisting. Two of those suits were filed in the District of Columbia
and one is before the Wyoming federal court. With the help of
members who offered statements in support of SCI and NRA’s interests
in hunting wolves and participating in the sustainable management
and conservation of wolves and their prey, SCI and NRA have moved to
intervene in all three suits.
SCI
Submits Numerous Comments to Advance Hunting Interests
In the last month, SCI has been very
active in submitting comments to Federal agencies to advance the
interests of sportsmen and women throughout the United States.
- SCI encouraged the National Park
Service to adopt a hunting plan for the Addition lands of Big
Cypress National Park in Florida.
- Consistent with SCI’s and the SCI
Foundation’s longstanding support of wood bison reintroduction
in Alaska, we filed comments in support of a rule that would
allow sustainable hunting of the species in future years.
- We supported a Fish and Wildlife
Service plan to increase hunting in the Ozark Plateau National
Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
- SCI filed extensive comments
opposing a proposal to list the lesser prairie-chicken under the
Endangered Species Act.
Safari Club Presents to Members of Congressional Western
Caucus
Hunting throughout the American West
remains a vibrant cultural tradition despite the many forces that
work against it and against the landscapes that support hunting
opportunities. During a presentation before the staff of over 40
members of Congress, SCI discussed obstacles to hunting imposed by
the Endangered Species Act, government regulations impacting
landowners, and bureaucracies that plague our advocacy efforts, all
of which curtail sportsmen and women’s access to public land.
Working to right these negative forces has been central to SCI’s
lobbying efforts over the past decade.
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