In the Crosshairs, SCI-First for Hunters 5/14/07

SCI - First For Hunters

In the Crosshairs -- e-news from SCI's Washington Office

The latest and hottest news on federal, state, and international
political and conservation events
May 14, 2007

Namibia Update

Last week SCI brought you a story about leopard trophies from Namibia being confiscated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because they were tagged incorrectly. According to the TJ Safari Weekly Newsletter, the Namibia Professional Hunting Association jumped right in to set things straight. They released the following statement: ‘It came to the fore that U.S. Fish and Wildlife had confiscated two separate leopard skins exported by Namibia due to the apparent use of incorrect identification tags. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has been making use of the current tagging system for the past fifteen 15 years. Those leopards exported with the old tags will still be accepted. MET has now submitted a new tag for approval by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. In the event of your clients leopard trophy being confiscated during the interim period, please advise The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (Elly Hamunyela) immediately to assist you with the issue.’" For any further questions, you can contact NAPHA directly at napha@mweb.com.na . (Source: TJ Safari)

SCI Victorious in Alaska Federal Subsistence Hearing
Safari Club International is victorious in the latest battle over Alaska’s Federal Subsistence program. On May 10, 2007, the Federal Subsistence Board voted unanimously to designate 30 percent of the seats on every Regional Advisory Council to representatives of the recreational and commercial hunting and fishing interests. The decision was made at a special public hearing to determine how to balance the membership of the councils in order to provide representation from groups other than subsistence users. This balance was mandated by previous court rulings and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. SCI has been fighting this battle with the Federal Subsistence Board for nine years, ensuring that the recreational hunting and fishing community has been represented. Anna Seidman, SCI's Chief Litigation Counsel testified at the hearing, explaining that the only way the recreational hunting community could attain true representation on these councils is by the participation by sport hunters who share the interests of the sport hunting community.

Migratory Birds Funded

“Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthornecelebrated International Migratory Bird Day by announcing nearly $3.9 million in federal grants to aid neotropical migratory bird conservation in the United States, Canada and 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide the grants to conservation partnerships in those countries. Partners will, in turn, match those funds with nearly $18 million that will be used to conduct research, monitoring, and management programs for migratory bird populations, as well as related outreach and education. There are 341 species of Neotropical migratory birds that breed in the United States and Canada and winter in Latin America. Examples of these birds include species of plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows. Many of these birds are presently in decline, and several species are protected as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established the matching grants program to fund projects promoting the conservation of Neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Appropriations began in 2002 and the money is to be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and education. By law, at least 75 percent of the money goes to projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada while the remaining 25 percent can go to projects in the United States.” (Source: USFWS)


SAFARI Magazine Wins Media Achievement Award

SAFARI Magazine, Safari Club International's flagship publication, has won a Diamond Statue of Distinction in the Spring 2007 Media Achievement Awards competition. The magazine was chosen from among over 1,600 entries, with only the top five percent recognized as award winners. This competition raises the bar of excellence. Entries are judged on a point system by award-winning, highly qualified professionals in the communications industry.


Two New Websites Focus on Wildlife
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has launched two new websites dedicated to wildlife. The www.wildlifeactionplans.org website provides detailed information on the state wildlife action plans and partnerships forming to ensure their implementation, and the revamped www.teaming.com will be the online home for the Teaming with Wildlife coalition and provide information on the need for new and greater funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. Any questions or comments can be directed to teaming@fishwildlife.org . (Source: AFWA)

Opportunity For All

“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Shane Mahoney, a renowned wildlife biologist from Newfoundland, have created a DVD entitled "Opportunity for All." The DVD tells the story of the North American Model for Wildlife Conservation and spreads the remarkable story that is the basis for our conservation ethic. It's a story we all should know and one that all hunters and anglers can take great pride in. Bulk orders of 50 DVDs or more can be purchased by contacting Jennie Wright at 1-800-225-5355 or jwright@rmef.org . The cost for 50 or more is $6.00 per DVD, plus shipping. Orders of fewer than 50 DVDs are $11.99 each, plus shipping and can be purchased by calling the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's membership services at 1-800-225-5355 or going online at www.elkfoundation.org ” (Source: RMEF / Outdoor Wire)

Florida Gators

“Florida wildlife officials may be on the verge of allowing rural and suburban homeowners who find alligators less than four feet long on their property to capture and kill them rather than pay a licensed trapper. Individuals would have to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for approval to kill alligators on their land. This also gives officials the opportunity to talk callers out of killing the gators themselves. Wildlife officials have yet to determine how homeowners would be allowed to kill or capture small alligators.” (Source: Outdoor Wire)

SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals: Documenting the Hunting Heritage

Republished Courtesy of African Indaba Newsletter.

SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals: Documenting the Hunting Heritage
By R. Douglas Yajko, MD, Chairman, SCI Trophy Records Committee

The Safari Club International measuring system was developed by SCI founder and Chairman C.J. McElroy in 1977. Mac as he was known in those days had a vision of providing a record book for SCI members the scoring system was developed for use in the SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals.
The record book quickly gained notoriety with the members and began to evolve into what it is today. The largest change occurred in 1993, giving more emphasis to mass for antlered game. Since that time, all entries for deer, elk and other antlered game have been measured under the new system. The new books have more than 134,000 entries in a four-volume set, including a two volume set of Africa, North America and Rest of the World pages. Encompassing 29 years, this record book is the epitome of an international record book. It includes species, categories, maps, taxonomy and all internal boundaries. We are continuing to refine the distinction between free range and estate animals, and this book will include both categories for all continents except Africa. The previous editions, edited by C.J. McElroy, John Brandt, Al Cheramie, Jack and Casey Schwabland, Irvin Barnhart, and me, show progressive and dramatic growth over the past 29 years.
The new edition continues to recognize the increasing international character of SCI. Federal laws in the U.S. prohibit taking of species designated as “endangered.” However, game laws vary from country to country. So, we now list animals that are legally taken and then exported legally from the country where they are taken to the homes of members of SCI and other countries where these stringent rules do not apply. We also list endangered species that were taken prior to the passage of the endangered species law.
The goal of the SCI Record Book is to provide an accurate and complete natural history of the world’s game animals. It also records in a regular and timely way the trophies that define contemporary hunting throughout the world.
The Trophy Records Committee is committed to using the record book to market SCI through taxidermists, meat processors, outfitters, guides and booking agents throughout the world. A concerted effort is being made to increase the measurers’ network, making it much easier for SCI members and potential members to have their animals scored. SCI members can now locate an official SCI measurer near them by visiting www.scifirstforhunters.org and clicking on the Trophy Records icon on the home page. Documenting the Hunting Heritage is the primary focus of the SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals. The minimums are lower in the SCI Record Book to encourage more hunters to submit their trophies and provide us with a better picture of the distribution of wildlife.
The Latest edition to the SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals is the Virtual Record Book. Now hunters from around the world can research a hunt prior to booking their hunt. The Virtual Record Book has many sort functions allowing hunters to sort the records by species and location or by species and guides. For example if a hunter is planning his or her first trip to Namibia for Gemsbok and other plains game they can go into the virtual record and pull up all gemsbok taken in Namibia and view the score sheets to see what the horn length and base circumferences are on mature animals. After learning about the species the hunter can then sort the Gemsbok entries by guide/outfitter determining who SCI members rely on the most when traveling to Namibia.
A free demo of the virtual record book can be viewed by clicking the following link: http://www.scirecordbook.org/demo. An annual subscription is required for the SCI Virtual Record Book and is available to non-members as well as SCI members. Pictures of the species taken are being gradually added to the Virtual Record Book. The Trophy Records Committee is planning to add the taxinomic notes, diagrams and maps to the Virtula Record Book in 2008.
The magnitude of producing the record book presents many challenges that require careful judgment and an enormous amount of work to provide this tremendous service for SCI members. In May 2005, updated and state-of-the-art software was implemented. The records in this edition are much cleaner than in past volumes; however, there is a lot of work to be completed for future editions of the record book. Volunteers on the Trophy Records Committee and the staff at SCI headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, put in the time and effort because we love and believe in what the book represents. The book is not just a list of trophies, but a conservation tool to use in hunting camps throughout the world. We are striving to print the most accurate and informative record books in the industry and wants to thank the members of SCI for adding their personal trophies to the book, hunters from around the world benefit from the data printed in the record books.

SCI - In the Crosshairs 3/16/2007

SCI - First For Hunters
In the Crosshairs -- e-news from SCI 's Washington Office
The latest and hottest news on federal, state, and international
political and conservation events
March 16, 2007


Predator / Prey Meeting Sponsored by SCI/SCIF

On Tuesday, March 20th, SCI/SCIF will be co-hosting an all day workshop entitled Predators and Prey: Integrating Management to Achieve Conservation Objectives at the 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Key sessions will include Integrating Mountain Lion and Ungulate Management; Integrating Wolf and Big Game Management: Case Studies; and Predator Management Implications for Waterfowl and Upland Birds. Each session will cover societal, scientific and policy issues. This all day event will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Portland, Oregon. The workshop is primarily intended for wildlife managers but anyone is invited to attend. The Wildlife Management Institute, the sponsor of the conference, is also co-hosting the event. You will need to register for the conference. Additional information can be found at http://www.fishwildlife.org/nawnrc.html.



SCI will also be hosting a breakfast at the meeting. We will give a litigation overview and then introduce Arlen Lancaster, the new Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service who oversees the conservation title of the Farm Bill.





D.C. Gun Ban Overturned

“Late last week, a federal appeals court overturned the District of Columbia’s longstanding handgun ban, issuing a decision that will allow the city’s residents to keep handguns in their homes. In the ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected arguments from city officials who claimed the Second Amendment right to bear arms applied only to state militias. However, in a 2-1 decision, the judges held that the firearms rights protected by the Second Amendment ‘are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual’s enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued intermittent enrollment in the militia.’ Immediately after the ruling, District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty issued a statement saying the District will appeal the court’s decision.” (Source: NAHC)





Decision on Lead Ammo Ban in Condor Range in California Delayed

Regarding an issue that SCI has been following from its inception, the California Fish and Game Commission recently delayed a decision on whether to ban lead ammunition in Condor range. The Commission decided that the lead ammunition ban issue is too complex, controversial and time consuming to be considered as part of its normal process for adopting Mammal Hunting Regulations, which must be completed by April 25, 2007. The Commission will, however, continue to take testimony from the public at its April 13, 2007 meeting. One reason for the delay is that the Commission directed the Department of Fish and Game to further review the existing research and literature on the subject and to report to the Commission at a later date. In a related development, the Department has recalled its draft environmental report on this issue and will work on it further before re-releasing it for public comment. Finally, the State legislature again has introduced a bill that would ban lead ammunition in Condor range. SCI will continue to monitor this situation.



Alternative Farm Bill Introduced

“Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced their alternative to the farm bill, entitled the ‘Healthy Farms Food and Fuels Act of 2007.’ The bill would favor conservation programs, renewable energy and specialty crops over some of the traditional price supports for commodities, according to hill aides. Environmentalists following the legislation said it would "dramatically increase" support for conservation programs. The bill also includes a climate change program with incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a Kind aide said. The proposal is unlikely to see any play in committee, since the leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture panels will take up their own farm bill rewrites. But it could set the stage for the sort of debate and amendments the farm bill can expect to see on the House and Senate floor.” SCI will keep you posted. (Source: E&E Daily)

Wind Turbines Wildlife Committee Announced

“Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced the formation of a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee. The Secretary is currently seeking nominations for the group which will advise him on effective measures to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife [primarily birds and bats] and their habitats related to land-based wind energy facilities. Members of the Committee will be expected to effectively represent the varied interests associated with wind energy development and the management of wildlife species and their habitats. They will represent stakeholders, Federal and State agencies, and Tribes; be senior representatives of their respective constituent groups; and have knowledge of wind energy facility location, design, operation, transmission requirements, wildlife species potentially affected, wildlife survey techniques, applicable laws and regulations, and wind/wildlife interactions. The Committee may also include independent experts in wind energy/wildlife interactions, appointed as special government employees, to provide technical advice. Interested parties should send resumes and explanations of interest by April 12, 2007, to Susan L. Goodwin, Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 500, Washington DC 20006; by e-mail to susan_goodwin@ios.doi.gov; or by fax to 202/327-5390.” (Source: USFWS)

SCI Announces Virtual Record Book

SCI Trophy Records Committee has launched an exciting new tool for SCI members and hunters. The SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals is now live through a web based subscription. Hunters can log in and get the most current information on the more than 133,000 entries world wide. You may search species by species name, the location you are considering hunting, search by guide and outfitter to see who SCI members depend on the most. Hunters have to ability to manipulate the information and study the score sheet of each species entered. Every night the SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals ranks the record book updating any changes made during that day. This is real data in real time, watch the SCI record Book grow and change. The annual subscription for the SCI Virtual to SCI members is $69.95 compared to $149.85 plus shipping and handling for a complete set of soft cover record books. Click on this link to see a free demo of the Virtual Record Book http://www.scirecordbook.org/demo

Richmond Old Dominion Chapter RMEF Banquet

I am off to the Richmond RMEF Banquet tomorrow! I am going to spend the day helping out the committee and spending some money on Raffle tickets to see if I can win something!

BTW.. The Colorado Springs Chapter of Safari Club International has a Governor's Tag for a statewide moose tag and I by the skin of my teeth got 4 tickets to the drawing! Now its like a 1 in 900 chance to win the miracle tag but somebody has got to win it! Rumor has it they also have a Governor's mule deer tag as well they are going to raffle off coming up here in the near future! If I get news about that tag drawing I will post it up here online and maybe we can get some more tickets sold for that tag.

No posts for Saturday but I will have some great pictures and some small stories from the Old Dominion Chapter Banquet! I am looking forward to seeing some old friends and meeting some new ones!

Kevin

SCI - In the Crosshairs Newsletter

SCI - First For Hunters

In the Crosshairs -- e-news from SCI 's Washington Office
The latest and hottest news on federal, state, and international

political and conservation events

March 9, 2007

SCI DC Meets With CITES Secretariat General

The staff of SCI’s Washington D.C. office were recently visited by Willem Wijnstekers, the Secretary General of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Wijnstekers and Programme Officer Marcel Van Nijnatten were in Washington for meetings with government agencies and came to SCI to discuss several issues. There will be a meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties in The Hague, Netherlands, so Wijnstekers’ trip was timely. Topics of discussion included trophy issues, wildlife trafficking, budgetary constraints, and future action plans. Additionally, there was discussion on the controversial proposals scheduled to be heard in The Hague, such as Kenya’s proposal to ban all sales of ivory throughout southern Africa. SCI has been involved with CITES since its inception. CITES is an international agreement between governments that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. You can find more information on CITES and the upcoming COP at www.cites.org.

SCI To Appear on Canadian Radio Show to Discuss Polar Bears

SCI has been interviewed once again on the polar bear issue – this time by a station in Whitehorse, Canada. If you would like, you can listen to Doug Burdin, Litigation Counsel for SCI, tonight, March 9, on the station's newscast at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. (Pacific time) on Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon Chan FM 98.1. This station broadcasts in the Yukon and in parts of the Northwest Territories and British Columbia. You can also listen at www.nnby.net . There is a "Listen Live" button on the left side of the screen.

SCI Comments on Wood Bison Facility

SCI has sent comments to the USDA Forest Service in support of expanding the existing wood bison pasture at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) in Portage, AK. Approximately 27 acres of the Chugach National Forest have been proposed to temporarily house wood bison stock prior to their reintroduction into the wild. Currently, there are no wild populations of wood bison in Alaska and only 22 wood bison exist at the AWCC. Any restoration efforts will rely on additional wood bison stock imported from disease-free populations in Canada. These animals will be quarantined on the expanded pasture at the AWCC. SCI's Alaska Chapters and SCIF have helped develop the AWCC facilities for this purpose and continue to assist the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in a long-term effort to restore wood bison to its historic range.

New Jersey Courts Put a Tight Rein on Agency’s Bear Management Policy Efforts

A New Jersey Appellate Court gave the State’s Department of Environmental Protection until August 10 to develop a new black bear management policy. In November of 2006, the agency abruptly revoked the state’s existing black bear management policy in an attempt to delete hunting from the state’s arsenal of management tools. Safari Club International, together with the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs Inc. and U. S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, sued the agency and has been battling in the state courts since then in an attempt to restore the illegally repealed policy and the annual bear hunt. The State, instead of answering the SCI’s legal challenges, asked the Court to give it time to develop a new black bear management policy. SCI opposed an open-ended delay and the Court gave the agency five months only to try to develop these new strategies. Under the Court’s tight schedule, the agency will not be able to delay until the last minute determinations about whether the State will hold a 2007 black bear season. SCI will continue to pressure the agency to comply with the Court’s schedule and to include harvests as part of the state’s comprehensive management scheme.

You’ve Got Email?

If you’re reading this edition of In the Crosshairs then we have your latest email and all is well. However, there are roughly 14,000 SCI members that we are not reaching and we need your help!! Does Tucson have all the emails for your chapter members? If you’re not in a Chapter, do you have a friend in SCI that hasn’t sent in his or her email? Please help us get In the Crosshairs to more SCI members than ever before. Ask your chapter and others to please send your email updates to Marj Barter in Membership Services in Tucson at mbarter@safariclub.org or call the toll free number 888-486-8724. Please note SCI would never sell your information to a 3rd party. Adding your email address also will enable you to enjoy the Member’s Only section of the SCI Website. New emails should begin receiving In the Crosshairs within 2-4 weeks. Thank you.

“In the Crosshairs" is a free e-mail service to SCI members. To stop receiving this, please respond saying "remove me" in the subject line. Please allow two weeks for processing.

SCI in the Crosshairs March 6th, 2007

SCI - First For Hunters
I am proud to offer the readers of this blog the following newsletter and will strive to get every one of them up online on the blog. I just received permission to reprint it on the blog for every issue! I hope you enjoy! Thank you to Safari Club International!


In the Crosshairs -- e-news from SCI's Washington Office

The latest and hottest news on federal, state, and international political and conservation events

March 6, 2007

Safari Club International Testifies In Opposition of Listing of Polar Bear Under the Endangered Species Act

Safari Club International continued its fight to stop the proposed listing of the polar bear as a “threatened” species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act by testifying at a hearing held by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on March 5, 2007 in Washington D.C.
The FWS is concerned that, within the next 45 years, the alleged impacts of global climate change will put the species as a whole in danger of extinction. Such a listing could mean the end of the importation into the United States of trophies of polar bears legally hunted in Canada, unless the FWS adopted special rules and permits allowing the import.

SCI argued that the FWS cannot make a “threatened” finding because there is too much scientific uncertainty about the nature and extent of global climate change, the future impact of any climate change on the arctic ecosystem, and how the polar bear as a species will adapt to any changing conditions. SCI explained that before making a ‘threatened’ listing, the FWS must have some high level of certainty about these future events. This certainty is lacking.

SCI also commented that sport hunting of polar bears in Canada brings significant dollars to local native communities and to conservation and management efforts. Currently polar bear populations overall are healthy and in many places thriving. Sport hunting of polar bears only occurs under strict quotas issued by Canadian provincial governments. The FWS currently
allows imports only of bears taken from sustainably managed populations. At the hearing, Doug Burdin, Litigation Counsel for SCI, testified, “Sport hunting, especially by U.S. hunters, brings significant dollars to remote native communities in Canada. To go along with the intrinsic value these people place on the polar bear, this economic benefit makes the polar bear valuable to these people, encouraging them to better conserve and manage the bear.” SCI will, as always, keep you posted.

SCI To Appear on NRA News’ Cam and Company Show to Discuss Polar Bears

To learn more about the proposed listing of polar bears and SCI’s position on the issue, listen to Doug Burdin, Litigation Counsel for SCI, tonight, March 6, at 10:40 p.m. (eastern time) on the “Cam and Company” radio show broadcast on NRA News. The webcast of the show is available at www.nranews.com <http://www.nranews.com/> or on Sirius Radio channel 144.

Kenyan Parliament Still Aiming to Vote on Hunting

“’The decision on whether or not the Government should lift a 30‑year‑old ban on sport‑hunting rests with Kenyans’, a minister has said. Tourism and Wildlife minister Morris Dzoro...told groups opposed to sport‑hunting to hold their horses until a task force collects and collates views of all key players. The task force would conclude its work and table a report before him by April 15, he said. The minister accused some environmentalists of calling press conferences instead of giving their views to the national steering committee on the review of wildlife policy. ‘The mandate of the committee is to get all the views of the public, whether good or bad, which we would process into a sessional paper to be presented to the Cabinet, and if approved, taken to Parliament as a Bill,’ the minister said. At the same time the minister said the Government would uphold the International Convention on Trade on Endangered Species, saying there was no cause for fear that Kenyan wildlife would be threatened. Mr. Dzoro was reacting to claims by officials of the Centre of Minority Rights in Democracy, who had vowed to lobby members of Parliament to shoot down the proposed Bill, if it supports what they called “hunting for fun.” The full story can be found at http://allafrica.com/stories/200703011195.html . (Source: The Nation - Kenya)

California Fish and Game Commission Puts Off Decision on Lead Ammunition Ban

SCI continues to closely monitor the California Fish and Game Commission's consideration whether to ban lead ammunition in Condor range in California. At a hearing held on Friday, March 2, 2007, the Commission pulled the proposed lead ammunition ban out of its current consideration of mammal hunting regulations. The reason appeared to be a request to the Department of Fish and Game for more information about the scientific information. SCI understands that the Commission will not vote on the lead ban at its April meeting, as originally suggested by the Commission. The Department has promised the information will be ready by the Commission's May meeting. Despite the delay, interested members of the public can still submit written comments (by April 6) on the proposed lead ban or testify at the meeting on April 12-13. The public can also comment on the draft environmental documents on the issue prepared by the California Fish and Game Department by April 9, 2007. For more information, see http://www.fgc.ca.gov/ and http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/ProjDocList.asp?ProjectPK=578649 .