Oct, 2012 "In The Crosshairs"
October 6, 2012
Paul Ryan “A Catholic Deer
Hunter–Guilty As Charged!”: “When the Republican
nominee for Vice President Paul Ryan recounts Barack Obama’s 2008
remarks about people who “cling to their guns or religion,” his
answer is simple. “I’m a Catholic deer hunter, guilty as
charged!” Your team in the nation’s capital presented a series
of more in-depth questions to Ryan, to further explore the positions
of the Romney-Ryan ticket on issues of concern to SCI members.
SCI: Congressman Ryan, thank you for taking
the time to discuss hunting and conservation issues. They
don’t always make the headlines, but they’re very important to our
members.” (Source: SCI HuntForever) To read the full interview,
visit http://bit.ly/SFhiLj
Safari Club Stays Active in the Courts:
Safari Club has filed briefs in cases involving wild horses on the
Triple B area in Nevada, the use of off-road vehicles in the Big
Cypress National Preserve in Florida, and the use of lead ammunition
nationwide. In the wild horse case, SCI filed its final brief
opposing a challenge that seeks to make it virtually impossible for
the government to gather excess wild horses that are harmful to
other wildlife, including game species. In the Big Cypress case, SCI
filed an opening brief defending a National Park Service decision to
allow ORVs and to limit Wilderness designations in one part of the
Preserve. In the lead ammunition case, SCI joined with the NRA to
try to dismiss a case filed by anti-hunting groups who seek to have
the Environmental Protection Agency ban the use of lead ammunition
under the Toxic Control Substances Act. The National Shooting
Sports Foundation and other groups filed their own motions to
dismiss the case.
Safari Club Moves to Intervene to Defend
Wisconsin’s Wolf Hunt With Dogs: Yesterday, SCI
filed a motion to intervene in a case in Wisconsin in order to help
the State DNR to defend against a challenge to the state’s wolf
hunting regulations. The case, filed by a federation of
Wisconsin Humane Societies, is designed to prevent wolf hunting with
dogs in Wisconsin. A Wisconsin state court has already issued
a temporary stay against the dog hunting provision. SCI has
joined with the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, the United
Sportsmen of Wisconsin and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation
to intervene to defend a hunting opportunity mandated by state
statute.
Aerial Mulching Moves To
Private Lands, Grants Help Navigators Reclaim Burned Campgrounds:
“As aerial mulching on about 3,000 acres of national forest in the
Waldo Canyon Fire burn area wrapped up, money was coming in to
extend the mulching program to private land at Eagle Lake Camps. The
camp, owned by The Navigators which also owns Glen Eyrie, was
founded in 1957 and brings in about 2,500 children each year. ... A
check for $30,000 from Safari Club International, given to The
Navigators on Sept. 24, kept Bradco flying for a few more days,
dumping tons of agricultural straw and wood chip-mulch on heavily
burned and steeper areas of the Eagle Lake burn area. Celestre
explained that the Safari Club's worldwide mission is conservation,
preserving natural resources and wildlife and promoting responsible
and ethical hunting as a wildlife management tool. The club recently
decided to work with private landowners affected by the Waldo Canyon
Fire to restore habitat for bighorn sheep, elk, deer and other
species.” (Source: Pikes Peak Courier View) To read more, visit
http://bit.ly/RfGzx3
Costa Rica Set To Ban
Hunting, A First In The Americas: “SAN JOSE — Costa
Rica is set to be the first country in the American continent to ban
recreational hunting after the country's legislature approved the
popular measure by a wide margin. The bill, which bans hunting for
sport but still allows culling and subsistence hunting, was approved
late Tuesday by a 41-5 vote. Congress will revisit the issue on
Thursday, but the second round is seen as just a formality.
President Laura Chinchilla, who supports the measure, is expected to
sign it into law in the next days. The ban, which does not affect
fishing for sport, does allow researchers to hunt for scientific
purposes. Hunters violating the ban would have to pay a fine of up
to $3,000.” (Source: AFP) To read more, visit
http://bit.ly/VFoqwu
High Court Declines
Challenge Of Roadless Rule: “The U.S. Supreme Court
has declined to hear a challenge to the ‘roadless rule’ in national
forests, letting stand a previous ruling that declared the
controversial regulation lawful. The State of Wyoming and the
Colorado Mining Association claimed the U.S. Forest Service exceeded
its authority by adopting the rule, which prohibits road building
and timber harvest on roughly 50 million acres. The petitioners
argued that the agency was effectively designating wilderness areas
in national forests, ‘usurping a power explicitly reserved to
Congress. ... As a result of the roadless rule, about one-third of
national forest land is set aside solely for wilderness instead of
multiple uses, thereby impairing logging, grazing, mining and fire
prevention, according to the petition.” (Source: Capital Press) To
read more, visit http://bit.ly/VlOZbw
Safari Club International filed an amicus brief in the case, arguing
that the permanent nature of roadless designations prevents access
to some members of the hunting community and prohibits the Forest
Service from following their own mandates to adapt forest planning
to changes in wildlife habitat and population conditions.
STATE: Fish, Game Commission
To Study Listing Of Wolf As Endangered: “The California
Fish and Game Commission determined Wednesday that listing the gray
wolf as an endangered species in the state may be warranted. The
decision opens a status review to be done over the course of the
next 12 months, after which the commission could decide to list the
wolf as an endangered species under state law... Last December, a
lone wolf known as OR7 dispersed to California from a pack in
northeastern Oregon and has been in the state for most of the time
since then. Gray wolves such as OR7 are protected as an endangered
species in California and elsewhere under the federal Endangered
Species Act.” (Source: Lake County News) To read more, visit
http://bit.ly/PA3Ms5
South Africa: 430 Rhinos
Poached in SA : “Pretoria — South Africa has lost
430 rhinos to poaching since January this year, according to the
Department of Environmental Affairs. ‘The latest rhino poaching
statistics indicate that a total of 430 rhinos have been lost to
illegal killings since the beginning of this year, with the total
number of arrests at 205,’ said the department on Tuesday. The
Kruger National Park has lost 258 rhinos to poaching. Limpopo,
KwaZulu-Natal and the North West provinces continue to be the
hardest hit by poachers, collectively accounting for the loss of 141
rhinos. Of those arrested, 177 are at the level of poacher, 10 are
receivers and 18 are couriers.” (Source: AllAfrica.com)
http://bit.ly/SFcIg6
Landers: ‘Hunting By
Reservation’ Program Hits Cyber Barrier: “A new method
of gaining public hunting access to private land in Washington is
staggering onto the scene this fall. About 30,000 East Side acres
have been enrolled in the “Hunting by Reservation Only” program.
Most of the initial offerings are in Columbia, Garfield, Walla Walla
and Whitman counties, plus some small-scale timberlands in
northeastern Washington. If you’ve been scouting for a spot to hunt
in the deer and upland bird seasons, you may have seen the signs
posted along some farm fields. But the Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife website that will handle the reservations – like every
website in the history of the cyber world – is being cranky. It’s
not ready to go online.” (Source: The Spokesman Review) To read
more, visit http://bit.ly/QAopqp