AmmoLand.com

Safari Club International Champions Access for Hunting Before Congress

Safari Club Internationa

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- On behalf of millions of American sportsmen and women, Safari Club International’s (SCI) Director of Hunter Advocacy, Melissa Simpson, testified yesterday before the House Committee on Natural Resource’s subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Simpson provided testimony on H.R. 1581, the “Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011” on behalf of a sportsmen’s coalition that included the National Rifle Association and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.

“H.R. 1581 would help hunters who are being denied or limited access to public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service,” Simpson says. “Currently, the Bureau and Forest Service are managing nearly 43 million acres of public land under the prohibitions of wilderness area study area policy, even though the agencies have recommended to Congress that these areas are not suitable for wilderness designation.”

The protectionist management by the two agencies severely restricts hunter access to these lands by 1) failing to authorize roads and trails that would help disabled and elderly hunters’ access hunting areas; 2) prohibiting or limiting hunters from using carts for game retrieval and; 3) reducing hunters’ ability to access lands inaccessible by existing roads and trails. Studies have shown that one of the biggest reasons for the decline in hunting participation in recent years has been the lack of access to hunting lands.

Despite opponents claims that H.R. 1581 would open affected lands to oil, gas and timber development, testimony from high level officials of the Obama Administration confirmed that, if released into multiple-use, these lands would not immediately be available for development, but would be afforded the safeguards under current land use plans and other environmental regulations. Any changes would only occur during the land use plan revision process after public and local input.

“We applaud Congress for taking the necessary steps forward to follow the agencies recommendations and put these lands into multiple-use. Unlike the current ‘one size fits all’ management of these lands, HR 1581 will allow for local communities to determine what multiple-use management is most appropriate and improve access for sportsmen.”

About SCI
Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information. www.hunterdefensefund.org.

Becoming an SCI Member
Joining Safari Club International is the best way to be an advocate for continuing our hunting heritage and supporting worldwide sustainable use conservation, wildlife education and humanitarian services. JOIN NOW: www.safariclub.org/Join.

Filed under: Conservation News, Hunting News by Ammoland No Comments »

Collins Joins Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership as Government Affairs Director
Avid sportsman and skilled political strategist to lead TRCP efforts on Capitol Hill.

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

WASHINGTON --(Ammoland.com)- The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership announced today that Vaughn T. Collins has joined the staff of the national sportsmen-conservation group.

As the TRCP’s director of government affairs, Collins will represent the TRCP on Capitol Hill and before federal agencies while promoting increased funding for fish and wildlife conservation and sound natural resources management.

“The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and our partners are fortunate to have Vaughn Collins, a dedicated conservationist, skilled political strategist and avid sportsman, working to organize and mobilize the sportsmen’s community in support of responsible management of the nation’s natural resources,” said TRCP President and CEO Whit Fosburgh.

“Decisions made in Washington, D.C., impact sportsmen and -women across the country, from how our public lands are managed to the rules governing marine fisheries,” Fosburgh continued. “Moreover, to ensure that critical conservation programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Conservation Reserve Program receive adequate funding, hunters and anglers must systematically engage in the federal appropriations and budget process. Vaughn will play a key role in assuring that sportsmen’s values are represented in these important conservation funding decisions.”

Collins was formerly director of public policy for Ducks Unlimited, where he advocated for wetlands conservation in Congress and worked with federal agencies and conservation groups to facilitate wildlife friendly federal programs. Prior to his time at DU, Collins was chief of the federal Duck Stamp Office at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the Interior. He also served as deputy director of the Agriculture Department’s National Rural Development Partnership Office and was executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development.

“America’s fish and wildlife populations and our hunting and angling heritage rely on responsible management and sound conservation practices,” said Collins. “I am honored to be working with the TRCP on the front lines of conservation decision-making, in the halls of Congress and with the administration, to advance policy solutions that will benefit our natural resources and outdoor traditions alike.”

A New Englander who lived in northern Vermont for more than 20 years and who still owns a rural property there, Collins resides in Alexandria, Va., with his wife. He is an avid outdoorsman, conservationist, birder and waterfowl hunter.

Learn more about the TRCP and read the TRCP 2011 Conservation Policy Agenda.

TRCP 2011 Conservation Policy Agenda

About:
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the tradition of hunting and fishing. Visit: www.trcp.org

Filed under: Conservation News by Ammoland No Comments »