Pebble Mine Update

The battle for Bristol Bay and the protection of that amazing ecosystem continues on and we are going to continue to do everything we can to get the message out to as many folks as we can.

Our partnership with The Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska continues with our Moose Promotion and I would like to encourage each and everyone of you to log on and make a donation of $50.00 so that you can have an opportunity to win one of the best packages I have seen put together. The package includes a Kimber Rifle, A Leupold scope, A set of Sitka Gear and 10 day moose hunt in Alaska. All of this for a donation of $50.00 to protect one of the greatest ecosystems in America.

Sportsman's Alliance of Alaska Moose Promotion
Stop Pebble Mine

State Conservation and Fish and Game Organizations

ALABAMA

• Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

• Alabama Wildlife and Fresh Water Fisheries Division

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Alabama

ALASKA

• Alaska Department of Fish and Game

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Alaska

ARIZONA

• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

• Arizona Game and Fish Department

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Arizona

ARKANSAS

• Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality

• Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Arkansas

CALIFORNIA

• California Resources Agency

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in California

COLORADO

• Colorado Department of Natural Resources

• Colorado Division of Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Colorado

CONNECTICUT

• Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

• Connecticut Division of Wildlife

• Connecticut Fisheries Program

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Connecticut

DELAWARE

• Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Delaware

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in the District of Columbia

FLORIDA

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Florida

GEORGIA

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Georgia

HAWAII

• Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources

• Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Hawaii

IDAHO

• Idaho Department of Fish and Game

• Idaho Division of Environmental Quality

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Idaho

ILLINOIS

• Illinois Department of Natural Resources

• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Illinois

INDIANA

• Indiana Department of Natural Resources

• Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Indiana

IOWA

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Iowa

KANSAS

• Kansas Department of Health and Environment

• Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Kansas

KENTUCKY

• Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Kentucky

LOUISIANA

• Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

• Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Louisiana

MAINE

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Maine

MARYLAND

• Maryland Department of the Environment

• Maryland Department of Natural Resources

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Maryland

MASSACHUSETTS

• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Massachusetts

MICHIGAN

• Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

• Michigan Department of Natural Resources

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Michigan

MINNESOTA

• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Minnesota

MISSISSIPPI

• Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Parks

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Mississippi

MISSOURI

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Missouri

MONTANA

• Montana Department of Environmental Qualities

• Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

• Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Montana

NEBRASKA

• Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Nebraska
  

NEVADA

• Nevada Division of Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Nevada

NEW HAMPSHIRE

• New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development

• New Hampshire Fish and Game

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New Hampshire

NEW JERSEY

• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

• New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New Jersey

NEW MEXICO

• New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department

• New Mexico Environment Department

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New Mexico

NEW YORK

• New York Department of Environmental Conservation

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New York

NORTH DAKOTA

• North Dakota Game and Fish Department

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in North Dakota

OHIO

• Ohio Department of Natural Resources

• Ohio Division of Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Ohio

OKLAHOMA

• Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality

• Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Oklahoma

OREGON

• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Oregon

PENNSYLVANIA

• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality

• Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

• Pennsylvania Game Commission

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Pennnsylvania

RHODE ISLAND

• Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Rhode Island

SOUTH CAROLINA

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in South Carolina

SOUTH DAKOTA

• South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources

• South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in South Dakota

TENNESSEE

• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Tennessee

TEXAS

• Texas Parks and Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Texas

UTAH

• Utah Department of Environmental Quality

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Utah

VERMONT

• Vermont Agency of Natural Resources

• Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

• Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation

• Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Vermont

VIRGINIA

• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Virginia

WASHINGTON

• Washington State Conservation Commission

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Washington

WEST VIRGINIA

• West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in West Virginia

WISCONSIN

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Wisconsin

WYOMING

• Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

• Wyoming Game and Fish Department

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Wyoming

Save Bristol Bay Win a Moose Hunt

Bristol Bay is in trouble and the war for Alaska's Natural Resources is raging on daily in the newspapers and coffee shops of Alaska. The choice is between an open pit mine for copper and gold and the protection of Bristol Bay, Natural Salmon Runs, Trout, Moose and the breeding ground for a Caribou herd.

For me the choice is easy and Bristol Bay must win out. Do we really really need more copper and gold?

Here is an article that talks all about this issue in far more detail then I can and really talks about the issue at hand. There is article after article in almost every outdoor magazine in the country.

Dallas Safari Club Game Trails Bristol Bay Article

Over the next several weeks we will be grabbing these articles and I encourage you all to do your own research.

Here are a couple of links to get you started:

http://www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org/BristolBayHunt_details.html

http://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/pebble_mine.htm

http://www.stoppebblemine.com/

The website of those that want the mine to succeed is here....

http://www.pebblepartnership.com/

There are thousands of people who are working on this and some really great partners across the world.

www.polartec.com

www.leupold.com

www.kimberamerica.com

www.sitkagear.com

Alaska Wilderness Trips, Inc.

www.wild-alaska.com

And there are many many more..

How can you help you ask?

Log on and buy a raffle ticket.. $50.00 is all we ask for a full donation. I know that times are tough and gas prices are high and every nickel in our lives is important but all I am asking is go to one less night out this month and make a donation to this wonderful promotion and you might even be a lucky winner and get to head out to the Bristol Bay area and go on a Moose hunt.

The sooner the better as there are only 500 tickets total.

http://www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org/BristolBayHunt_details.html

HuntingLife.com and Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska Team up for Conservation

Press Release:

For Immediate Release
July 11, 2008

Kevin Paulson (202)744-5806
Kevin@HuntingLife.com
Scott Hed (605) 336-6738
Scott@SportsmansAlliance4AK.org


HuntingLife.com and Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska Team up for Conservation
Effort Launched to Raise Awareness of the Growing Threat in Alaska’s Bristol Bay Region

Today marks the launch of a special campaign aimed at raising awareness among America’s hunters about a very serious threat facing one of the world’s most iconic sporting destinations: Alaska’s famed Bristol Bay region. While the world of sportfishing has been more aware of the plans to turn this area in southwest Alaska, which is home to the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery and tremendous angling and hunting opportunities, into a massive mining district, the time has come for hunters and the hunting community to further engage in this monumental conservation battle.

“HuntingLife.com has been committed to conservation from day one so it was a natural partnership to work with the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska to protect such amazing resources like Bristol Bay and the Tongass National Forest. Bristol Bay is one of those areas in America where sportsmen from all walks of life dream of hunting moose, caribou and bears or wetting a line pursuing the mighty salmon and trout. Partnering with the Sportman’s Alliance for Alaska on this wonderful project was a no-brainer for Team HuntingLife,” said HuntingLife.com founder Kevin C. Paulson.

For anyone not familiar with the debate raging in Bristol Bay, here is a brief primer. Bristol Bay is home to the largest runs of wild salmon left on the planet, with tens of millions of fish returning every year. The salmon form the cornerstone of an incredibly rich and complex ecosystem which also supports some of the finest trophy wild rainbow trout fishing found in the world, and additional angling opportunities for Dolly Varden, arctic char, lake trout, arctic grayling, and northern pike. Of course the salmon also feed the large population of brown and black bears found in the region. Hunters have traveled to the Bristol Bay area for decades to pursue not only bear, but also trophy moose and caribou from the famed Mulchatna herd in a wild and remote setting. This sporting mecca is located in southwest Alaska, approximately 250 miles from Anchorage, and is only accessible by plane or boat. In the midst of this rich fish and game habitat, a foreign partnership (one British company and one Canadian company) have plans to develop the largest open-pit copper/gold/molybdenum mine in North America. If approved, the Pebble Mine could include a massive open pit mine, an adjacent underground mine, 5 huge earthen dams (including two of the largest on the planet – one being 4.3 miles long and over 740 feet tall), and a tailings lake covering as much as 15 square miles to hold back the toxic byproducts of the mining process. Even more alarming, the Pebble Mine could become the centerpiece of what the mining industry has referred to as a world-class mining district. Over 1,000 square miles of state lands are already staked with mining claims in the region and the federal Bureau of Land Management has proposed lifting the mining restrictions on over 1 million acres of lands under its management in the Bristol Bay region. It’s not hard to imagine that such development in one of the world’s premier hunting and angling destinations would have an impact on fish and game and sportsperson’s opportunities to pursue them.

Scott Hed serves as the Director of the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska (SAA), whose goal is to engage sportspersons in the battle for Bristol Bay’s future. “The need is urgent right now to engage hunters in this fight. Hunters and anglers both have a lot at stake in the future of Bristol Bay. While Bristol Bay is most well-known as one of the top sportfishing destinations on the planet, it’s also a premier place for big game hunting. Hunters travel from across the globe to pursue trophy moose, caribou, and bear in this region,” said Hed. In the past year, the Dallas Safari Club, Wildlife Forever, and Izaak Walton League of America have expressed their opposition to the plans to turn Bristol Bay into an industrial mining zone.

Today the SAA is launching a new page on its website to help raise awareness among hunters about this critical issue. At www.SportsmansAlliance4AK.org/BristolBayHunt.html visitors will learn more about hunting in Bristol Bay, view an upcoming advertisement to be placed in Black’s Wing, Clay, and Waterfowl 2009 Guide, and be able to make a donation to the Bristol Bay conservation campaign. Perhaps most exciting is the drawing in which donors will be entered.

Hed added “Through the tremendous support and leadership of conservation-minded companies like HuntingLife.com, Kimber, Leupold, Sitka Gear and Polartec, I’m thrilled that hunters will now be able to learn more about the Bristol Bay region and how they can get involved in the fight to protect an iconic sporting destination. The participation of the Whitney family and Alaska Wilderness Trips, Inc. really put the icing on the cake as we were developing this promotion.”

For a suggested donation of $50, donors will be entered in a drawing for the following prize package:
• 10-day fully guided Alaska moose hunt for 1 hunter in 2009 with Alaska Wilderness Trips, Inc.
• Kimber Model 84M or 8400 Montana rifle in winner’s choice of caliber
• Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm scope
• 90% Jacket, Ascent pant, and base layer system from Sitka Gear and Polartec
The retail value of the package is approximately $11,700.

“Putting together such an amazing package has been a blast, this is a hunt that any hunter would be more then excited to be a part of,” said HuntingLife.com’s Paulson. The hunt fundraiser will be limited to the first 500 qualifying donations and early responses from hunters aware of the upcoming opportunity to participate indicate that it will be very popular.

When asked why his company chose to support this project, Patrick Mundy, Leupold’s Marketing Communications Supervisor stated simply “As members of the hunting and shooting industry, we are in full support of protecting places like Bristol Bay to preserve hunting lands for future generations for several reasons. Not only is the natural environment critical to conserve, but without hunting lands to access, we lose hunters---which we can ill afford in this day and age.”

Jonathan Hart, Founder and co-owner of Sitka Gear echoed those sentiments. “As a company involved in the hunting industry, Sitka fully supports, and is extremely thankful for, the hard work that the Sportsman¹s Alliance of Alaska is doing to protect the Bristol Bay Region. The bottom line is that the mining proposals would forever compromise the health of the area. The tundra, the big game, and the fisheries in Southwest Alaska are a sustainable resource. The long-term health of the area, both in an economic and an ecosystem sense, depends on those resources. If my kids and your kids can’t hunt and fish there when they’re older, we’ve screwed up big time.”

For Alaskan guide Clark Whitney, Jr. who will be guiding the moose hunt for the winner of the drawing, the matter is even more personal. “I shot my first trophy bull caribou right at the mouth of Talarik Creek (one of the creeks that would be drained to provide water for the mine) when I was 13 years old, and the mine footprint area is a traditional calving grounds for the Mulchatna caribou herd. If this mine is permitted, it will have a devastating effect on these animals and this region’s wild character will forever be lost.”

Contributions to this promotion will be designated for brochures and other informational materials, travel for staff and volunteers to make Bristol Bay conservation presentations to clubs and organizations, day-to-day expenses and other direct costs.

“For someone looking to lend support to an incredibly important conservation campaign and possibly end up on that Alaska hunting trip of a lifetime, this is a tremendous way to help make a difference. While we can’t match the dollars that the mining companies are throwing at this fight, sportspersons have always shown a passion and a willingness to fight for places they care about,” concluded SAA’s Hed.

HuntingLife.com

COME SEE OUR NEW SITE AT:

WWW.HUNTINGLIFE.COM

HuntingLife.com Seeks to be the Community for Hunters Pursuing the Passions of Hunting, Conservation and a Well Lived Life

HuntingLife.com Seeks to be the Community for Hunters Pursuing the Passions of Hunting, Conservation and a Well Lived Life

The growth of hunting across North America has fueled the need to provide high quality resources for hunters to find information, great outfitters and conservation resources, HuntingLife.com has stepped into that market to provide a best of class resource portal for hunters worldwide.

Fredericksburg, VA, October 13, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Huntinglife.com focuses on hunters who are interested in both high quality resources for finding quality outfitters across the country and keeping in touch with all of the news of conservation organizations across the country. HuntingLife.com provides a full scale directory for state fish and game resources, outdoor websites, equipment reviews and hunter submitted pictures.

HuntingLife.com was started by Kevin Paulson after a brief stint as an outfitter in Montana and Idaho. Kevin saw the need for a website dedicated to conservation where hunters could research new outfitters and have a national tool for all hunters to use to create reviews and hunting reports on outfitters across the country. “Our Outfitter review tool allows hunters researching trips across the country to separate the wheat from the chaff and make informed decisions about where best to spend their hard earned dollars”

Team HuntingLife pledges 10% of gross revenue to conservation habitat programs and youth hunting opportunities across the country and these donations are reported directly on the blog section of the website on a quarterly basis.

For information, visit www.HuntingLife.com and check out our national resources or contact Kevin Paulson at 202-744-5806 or Kevin@huntinglife.com.

About HuntingLife
HuntingLife.com is community for pursuing your passions of hunting, conservation and a well lived life. Visitors are what helps our community grow by posting hunting photos, reviews, and researching outfitters.

African Hunting Safaris - TJSafari Blog Safari Hunting in South Africa Namibia

African Hunting Safaris - TJSafari Blog Safari Hunting in South Africa Namibia

A great little story about the increase in hunter and concession fees over in Tanzania.

Check out our new website at HuntingLife.com

A Conversation with the RMEF about Real Estate Advertisements

Saturday, August 25, 2007
A conversation with the RMEF about Real Estate Advertising.

In the last couple of issues you may have noticed some advertising in the latest issue of Bugle magazine for real estate. I am not sure about you but on initial look these advertisements got my hackle up a bit. For an organization that is working so hard to protect land from development why would they be advertising for real estate companies. Well a couple of emails later and I now have the answers for you as follows:

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is one organization in which I donate a large amount of money and also an organization that I volunteer my relatively limited amount of time to on several committees. I am really happy that we had this conversation via email and I am really thankful that I was able to have Buddy's permission to publish this information here on our website for all of readers.

My hope is that the RMEF will continue to work with these real estate companies to create relationships with new land owners to increase our work with conservation easements to increase habitat for elk and other wildlife.
Our Exchange is as follows:



My Initial Email:

Buddy,

I just received my copy of the September/October issue of Bugle Magazine which in my opinion is still one of the finest publications in the hunting community. I usually take the first night to flip page to page and then the next night I devour it article by article and word by word. Tonight I saw something in the bugle that I can hardly believe. I saw an advertisement for United Country Real Estate selling off the west to the highest bidder.

Isn't this what we are working against as an organization? Why do we need the advertising revenue so badly as to sacrifice our integrity to sell out to the highest bidders? Is the RMEF in support of this? I remember a discussion with you across from our booth at elk camp in 2006 where you told me that if you had your way you would not allow real estate companies to be included in Elk Camp. Please do not allow this to continue, lets keep our integrity and continue to work for the protection of elk and the purchase and protection of habitat that will be open to elk hunters of all walks of life.


--

Kevin C. Paulson
CEO
HuntingLife.com
11005 North Lamont Court
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
202-744-5806
kevin@huntinglife.com

Http://www.HuntingLife.com



Response from Walker S. (Buddy) Smith:

Kevin,

Thanks for your email regarding real estate advertising in Bugle magazine. To your point, the Elk Foundation had a policy against any sort of real estate advertising in Bugle for its first 22 years. The increasing pace of land transactions in Elk Country is one of the primary challenges facing the Elk Foundation today and into the foreseeable future. With escalating land values and changing demographics, the pressure to sell large tracts of land for commercial and residential development is enormous. At the same time, there are emerging buyers, sellers and real estate professionals with a strong conservation ethic who would like to see many of these traditional ranch and farm lands remain intact and be preserved for wildlife and future generations. It is this changing landscape that led us to take another look at that policy and consider the potential benefits of working with appropriate real estate companies.

The Elk Foundation is uniquely qualified to participate in real estate transactions in elk country, and by doing so, further accomplish our mission to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat. By becoming engaged in the real estate business, we create the opportunity to educate buyers, sellers and agents on the benefits of conservation and the tools available to accomplish conservation goals.

It is absolutely crucial to understand that most properties are marketed through a variety of resources. Properties suitable for development are well known to developers. Bugle is a resource for reaching conservation minded buyers. By becoming engaged in the real estate business, we have the opportunity to compete with developers for properties that are important for the future of Elk Country. It is highly unlikely that a property will ever be sold and developed simply because it was advertised in Bugle.

Simply put, we can become engaged in the real estate business, and if we place a single property with a conservation buyer or place a single conservation easement because of the dialog created, then we are accomplishing our mission. Properties that sell and get developed would have been sold and developed regardless of our participation in the process.

We now have a new policy in place that allows limited advertising in Bugle. Properties and agencies must meet specific criteria to be considered. We have already turned down several proposed ads. I’ve attached a copy of the policy for your review.

As always, I appreciate any and all input from you and any other member. At the same time, I know that it is unlikely that any decision we make is going to make everyone happy. Hopefully I have provided you with a better understanding of our thinking regarding real estate advertising. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to call.
By the way this is actually the second issue of this type of ad and this is the issue with ATV ads, from which I am sure to get some e-mails.

Happy trails,
Buddy Smith

The Official Policy on Real Estate Advertising from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Real Estate Advertising Policy for Bugle

There is substantial interest in advertising real estate in Bugle magazine. With escalating land values and changing demographics, land transactions are expected to increase dramatically in the years ahead. As the pressure for commercial and residential development of land has increased, numerous real estate companies specializing in larger properties and promoting conservation ethics have emerged. By accepting appropriate real estate advertising in Bugle magazine, and developing an RMEF endorsed property program, the Elk Foundation will benefit by developing a new source of advertising revenue and by becoming more engaged in the business. Through greater involvement, we stand to develop more opportunities to promote conservation values, place conservation easements, and acquire critical properties or place them with suitable conservation minded buyers. Real estate advertising in Bugle must meet specific conservation oriented criteria to avoid conflict with our mission to protect habitat in elk country.

Properties listed in any advertisement in Bugle must meet the following criteria:

1. Located in Elk Country as defined by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
2. Minimum property size of 100 acres
3. Property possesses conservation value for elk and other wildlife
4. Current and future use is consistent with good habitat stewardship or has the potential to respond to good habitat stewardship
5. Is an appropriate candidate for a conservation easement
6. Advertising message is consistent with habitat protection (no development oriented ads)
7. Located in Elk Country as defined by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
8. Minimum property size of 100 acres
9. Property possesses conservation value for elk and other wildlife
10. Current and future use is consistent with good habitat stewardship or has the potential to respond to good habitat stewardship
11. Is an appropriate candidate for a conservation easement
12. Advertising message is consistent with habitat protection (no development oriented ads)


Criteria for real estate companies/agents:

1. Commitment to conservation properties and ethics
2. Not oriented to subdivision/development of properties in elk country
3. Not associated wing, non-fair chase hunting, etc.