DON’T MISS OUT!
Mark your
calendars for the Chapter’s 2008 Wild Game Feast to be held at
Liberty Hall in Kimberly on Thursday, August 21th.
Bring family and friends and enjoy another fun filled
evening of great food, super firearms and merchandise raffles
and live and silent auctions.
This is the perfect event to kick-off your hunting
seasons.
SCI
Board Meeting –
Washington DC
On May 17th more
than 200 SCI members from around the country met with members of
Congress to discuss priority hunting and conservation
legislation. Other
Wisconsin SCI delegates joined me in discussions with staff
members of Senator Russ Feingold and Congressmen Jim
Sensenbrenner, Tom Petri, Paul Ryan, Steve Kagen, Ron Kind,
David Obey and Tammy Baldwin.
The meetings focused on pending legislation to protect
your Hunter’s Rights and promote Wildlife Conservation.
The following is a brief summary of our discussions:
-
BEAR PROTECTION ACT:
The so-called “Bear Protection Act” would extend the
Lacey Act to North American bear illegally harvesting for
their viscera. SCI
opposes this act as the bill would do very little to address
the issue of bears poached for their viscera and would
unnecessarily hinder the effectiveness of existing laws that
protect wildlife from illegal trade.
-
POLAR BEAR LISTING AND IMPORT BAN:
SCI opposed the now
enacted band on the import of polar bear trophies legally
taken in Canada as
it harma current sustainable use conservation of the
species. SCI is
joining others in challenging the recent ban listing.
-
THE
PROTECT AMERICA’S WILDLIFE ACT (PAWs):
This act attempts to deprive the states of their
authority to manage their own wildlife.
The bill mandates that the federal government must
control scientifically based wildlife management of
predators. SCI
opposes this legislation and supports the North American
Model for Wildlife Conservation which deems the states to be
the best and most effective managers of wildlife.
-
2007 FARM BILL:
Work is being done in assuring funding for wildlife
and habitat restoration is effectively directed.
Discussions were held on conservation and
recreational area access programs
contained in the
Bill.
-
FLAME ACT:
SCI supports this act which would create federal funding to
assist local Forest Service administrators in fight fires
which drain monies from needed conservation and wildlife
programs which many times go unfunded due to the expense of
fire suppression activities.
-
CONSERVATION TAX INCENTIVES:
Supported by SCI this bill provides incentives for
private landowners to manage their land for open space and
wildlife providing an important tool in the achievement of a
number of wildlife management and other conservation
projects.
-
FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS:
SCI commended legislators on the final version of
this act which deleted anti-hunting language that would have
eliminated all funding for programs that utilize hunting as
part of their wildlife management strategies.
Conservation Project Approved
During the Chapter’s June Board Meeting approval was given to fund the
rebuilding of the Grand River Marsh observation blind in Green Lake County.
The blind is used to capture and band over 1,000 mallards
annually and is the largest mallard banding facility in Wisconsin offering DNR staff and volunteer
conservationists the vantage point to annually cannon net ducks
in August and September.
Funding approval enables the continuation of waterfowl
research through the banding program essential to conservation
efforts.
I
look forward to seeing you August 21st
at the
Annual Wild Game Feast
For meeting
reservations call
Tom Zimmer / 920-729-1987, Danielle
Henker / 920-235-5559
or Jeff Champeau /
920-863-8482
