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Orion – The Hunters’ Institute Leads the Charge to Ensure Vermont Wildlife is Managed as a Public Resource

Orion Executive Director Eric Nuse speaking at the State House. (R-L) Brian Ames, Evan Hughs, Clint Gray, Nuse, Gov. Peter Shumlin, Commissioner Pat Berry, Rep. Kate Webb (VT F&W Photo - John Hall)

Orion - The Hunters Institute

JOHNSON, Vt. --(Ammoland.com)- Orion – The Hunters’ Institute applauded the signing of H.91 by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, which mandated Vermont’s fish and wildlife are to be held in public trust by the state for the benefit of all citizens.

Using its expertise in public trust issues, Orion played a leadership role within a broad coalition that worked to reverse an amendment passed in the final days of Vermont’s 2010 legislative session. This amendment changed the status of native deer and moose at a high fence shooting facility from public to private ownership.

“Orion was very concerned about setting the precedent of transferring ownership of public wildlife resources to individuals for their personal gain. We viewed this as an action that threatened wildlife management not only in Vermont but throughout the United States,” said Eric Nuse, executive director of Orion – The Hunters’ Institute.

“Our public trust work related to high fence issues in Montana as well as technical papers by The Wildlife Society and Vermont Law School gave us the legal arguments to be successful. All of the major conservation groups and leaders of the hunting community were ready to fight to keep our wildlife wild. When I sent the word out to convene the public trust coordinating group and provide expert testimony to the legislature, there was no shortage of volunteers.”

Nuse credits Vermont Representative Kate Webb for championing this bill in the legislature and praises the support of Fish and Wildlife Department Commissioner Pat Berry and his staff. Others who assisted this effort include Fish and Wildlife Board President Brian Ames, former House Majority leader Floyd Neice, former commissioner Steve Wright, Senator Ginny Lyons and Governor Peter Shumlin.

Hunters also played a big role in advancing the issue of Vermont fish and wildlife being a public resource instead of being privately owned, according to Nuse. All of the major hunting and conservation groups contributed from the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs to Wild in Vermont, the state wildlife rehabilitator group.

“It was Vermont’s hunters who were the foremost advocates for this law and took the cause to the legislature. Vermont’s constitution provides for hunting as a right for all citizens. This new law prevents private individuals from taking personal ownership of live wildlife for any purpose,” Nuse said. “Hunters want Vermont’s wildlife to remain wild, owned by no one and under the trusteeship of the state’s Fish and Wildlife Department. That agency’s trained biologists provide the stewardship to ensure future generations of all Vermonters – hunters and nonhunters alike – will be able to enjoy and take pride in this magnificent heritage.”

For more information visit the Orion blog at Fair Chase Hunting Blogspot and search for Public Trust Doctrine.

Or email Eric Nuse at ericnuse@huntright.org or call 802-730-8111.

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Kansas Hunter Education Instructors Welcome Guest Speaker Dr. James Tantillo

Orion - The Hunters Institute

Kansas --(AmmoLand.com)- Hunting is one of the safest ways to enjoy the outdoors, and making it ever safer will be a primary topic at the 2010 Kansas Hunter Education Instructor Academy, held March 26-28. Volunteer instructors from Kansas and neighboring states also will delve into the topic of hunting ethics with invited guest speaker Dr. James Tantillo.

Tantillo, who teaches ethics and environmental philosophy at Cornell University and sits on the board of directors for Orion – The Hunters’ Institute, will deliver a keynote address titled The Morality of Hunting: “A Damnable Pleasure.”

Plus, participants will get the chance to examine the differences between hunter ethics and hunter preferences during breakout sessions hosted by Tantillo.

“Most people today who think about hunting tend to lump all value questions together under the heading “ethics” without regard for whether that classification is accurate,” Tantillo said. “In reality, hunting ethics usually involve more aesthetic than ethical issues.”

Tantillo went on to say the tendency for sportsmen and women to impose their personal hunting values or behaviors on others to improve the image of hunting may be well intended but can cause infighting and ultimately erode efforts to uphold our hunting traditions.

Orion – The Hunters’ Institute has long supported the work of hunter education programs across North America starting with Jim Posewitz, the organization’s founder. The partnership between Orion and hunter education programs has been responsible for shaping millions of new hunters.

During the weekend hunter education academy, a variety of other breakout sessions on safety, hunter ethics and responsibility will be conducted by representatives from the Treestand Manufacturer’s Association and Kansas and North Dakota volunteer hunter education instructors. Awards presentations and program updates will round out the weekend.

For more information about the academy, contact Wayne Doyle at wayne.doyle@ksoutdoors.com.

About Orion – The Hunters’ Institute
Orion is a 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to ethical hunting and the wild resources essential to that purpose. Founded by Jim Posewitz in 1993, the organization is dedicated to preserving hunting as an important part of our North American conservation heritage through teaching hunter ethics and expanding society’s knowledge of the conservation legacy that was born in the embers of the hunter’s fire.

Orion is best known for its strong stance on ethical hunting and promoting the value of North American’s hunting heritage. “Beyond Fair Chase,” which was written by Posewitz, is a standard for hunter education classes in North America with 500,000 copies in circulation. For more information, please contact us at 802-730-8111 or visit www.huntright.org

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