DEC, 2011 "In The Crosshairs"
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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