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Maryland Middle Schoolers to Compete in World Series of Birding

Steiner Optics

Moorestown, NJ — -(AmmoLand.com)- On May 9th, five eager middle schoolers will take to the fields, woods and waterways on a mission to spot as many bird species as possible, either by sight or sound, in a 24-hour time period. Calling themselves the Steiner Peregrines, this all-girl team from Centerville Middle School in Centerville, Maryland, has been participating in the World Series of Birding for the past three years, claiming second place in Youth Competition Division B last year. Eager to take top honors in 2009, this team has been training all year with corporate sponsorship from Steiner Binoculars.

Steiner will also sponsor an elementary school team in North America’s most celebrated conservation event. The second WSB team, the Steiner Merlins, consists of three third-grade boys and two third-grade girls from Kennard Elementary School in Centerville, Maryland. Competing in the Youth Competition Division A, this rising elementary school team is being coached and driven by veteran birder Sven Harms, vice president of Steiner Germany. The middle school team is being driven from spot to spot by one of the fathers.

Founded in 1984, The World Series of Birding is perhaps the world’s most famous birding competition, raising more than $800,000 annually for conservation. Each year, participants try to indentify the greatest number of bird species throughout the state of New Jersey. The event is organized by the New Jersey Audubon society. There are four levels of competition: team, non-competing team or individual, youth, and senior. For more information on this year’s event, go to the World Series of Birding website at http://www.birdcapemay.org/wsob.shtml.

To schedule an interview with either team, please contact Karen Lutto at (830) 755-4308 or via cell phone at (804) 539-6699.

About:
Headquartered in Germany, Steiner has been an acknowledged leader in the manufacturing of quality binoculars since 1947. Steiner provides binoculars and related optical products to military and law enforcement agencies, worldwide. Allied forces around the world, including the U.S. Army, have made Steiner their binocular of choice. For more information contact: Pioneer Research, 97 Foster Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057, or call toll free 1-800-257-7742. You can also visit the interactive web site at www.steiner-binoculars.com.

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Your Input Will Help Shape And Preserve Arizona’s Hunting Heritage

Arizona Game and Fish Department

PHOENIX — -(AmmoLand.com)- The Arizona Game and Fish Department is accepting public input for revising the state’s hunt guidelines now through the end of May. Comments may be submitted either electronically via email or mail them directly to the department headquarters in Phoenix.

The hunt guidelines set the framework (biological and social) that the department uses to develop specific hunt recommendations and set permit levels, season dates and season structures.

Every two years, on odd-numbered years, the department reviews and revises the existing hunt guidelines and recommends changes that address the direction given by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. The guidance for the 2009 package, which will be the framework for setting the 2010-11 and 2011-12 hunting season structures, is for standardization, simplification, and increasing hunter participation.

“This is your opportunity to get involved. The department needs your thoughts and ideas on how to meet the demand for hunting opportunities,” said Brian Wakeling, chief of game management. “What can we do different with our hunt structures to make it better for hunters, while still managing within biological sideboards? And what are your thoughts and ideas on how we can get more hunters engaged and in the field?”

The current hunt guidelines to be revised can be reviewed and downloaded at www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/huntingrecommendations/2009/HuntGuidelines.pdf.

Please submit ideas and comments through May 31 to azgamebranch@azgfd.gov or to Hunt Guidelines, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086.

After all the comments are received, reviewed, and processed, the department will host nine public meetings across the state, from June 10-25, to present the proposed revisions, answer questions, and to collect any additional public input. A final draft will then be prepared and posted at the department’s Web site prior to being presented to the commission for approval at its Sept. 11-12 meeting in Phoenix.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission and Department want to accommodate the many varied desires of our hunting and nonhunting public. Wildlife is managed in the public trust for all Arizonans; this is how the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is perpetuated.

To learn more about the hunt guideline process, and listing of public meeting dates and locations, visit www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.

About:
The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Deputy Director, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Deputy Director as listed above.

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