Each one of these articles are very important and I urge you to go to the US Sportsmen's Alliance to read the complete articles... just don't forget to come back to WomenHunters. If you are not a member of their Email Network then I also urge you join it. God Bless, Sue

March 8, 2007

Court Allows DEP to Develop New Bear Policy

(Trenton) - A New Jersey Appellate Court will allow the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a new black bear management plan.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and other sportsmen’s groups sued the state in 2006 when DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson arbitrarily discarded the approved plan, nixing last year’s bear hunt.

On March 7, an appeals court granted a motion by the DEP allowing the state until Aug. 10 to create a new black bear management policy. If a new policy is not approved by the deadline, the court will hear appeals in the case on Sept. 6. At such time, sportsmen will argue that the 2005 bear policy, which provided for hunting, should be reinstated.

If the DEP approves a new policy within the time limit, the court will still hear oral arguments in September. This will allow the court to consider whether the new plan is lawful and what to do if it is not.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund is the nation’s only litigation force that exclusively represents sportsmen’s interests in the courts. It defends wildlife management and sportsmen’s rights in local, state and federal courts. The SLDF represents the interests of sportsmen and assists government lawyers who have little or no background in wildlife law.

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March 6, 2007                                            

USSA Testifies Against Proposal to Expand Reach of ESA to Ban Hunting

FWS Comments Raise More Questions about Intent of Proposed Action

(Columbus) – The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance blasted a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to list polar bears as federally threatened and curtail hunting for them. After sportsmen’s concerns were expressed during last night’s public hearing, wildlife officials made remarks that gave even more reason to call the listing into question.

At a March 5 public hearing at the Department of the Interior, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance representative David Lampp testified against a proposal to list polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Listing the polar bears is a political gesture not a conservation measure. It will impede polar bear conservation and will do nothing to address environmental factors that are claimed to pose long-term threats to the bear populations.

“There are healthy, well-managed polar bear populations in Canada that provide excellent hunting opportunities for American sportsmen,” said USSA representative David Lampp. “Their success is due in large part to hunting, which provides funding for research and conservation. The unwarranted, blanket listing sought by the service will bring an immediate end to conservation revenue from U.S. hunters, who account for approximately 90 percent of the foreign clientele for polar bear hunting in Canada.”

The listing not only puts the polar bear populations in jeopardy, it also fails to address the problem that the Fish and Wildlife Service identifies as the formidable threat to the species.

“The service names the loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change - not hunting - as the threat to polar bears,” said Lampp. “Listing the polar bear as threatened will not stop climate change, thus the listing will not address the perceived threat.”

Wildlife officials admitted at the hearing, according to Lampp, that the science behind their decision to try to list the bears is based on vague estimates and assumptions. Further, the agency has not determined whether or how the listing will allow them to address climate change.

“Fish and Wildlife Service representatives admitted that they have little certainty in their polar bear population estimates,” said Lampp. “Their projections about Arctic sea ice and climate change are precarious, and the conclusions about the effects of possible sea ice reduction on polar bears were based largely on assumptions and anecdotal evidence.”

The successful Canadian management programs demonstrate that hunting can be beneficial to polar bear populations. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, through its International Hunters’ Rights Campaign, will continue to fight the federal government’s efforts to use the ESA to ban the hunting of polar bears and import of polar bear trophies.

The USSA is preparing written comments to submit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opposing the proposal. A final decision on the listing will be made in January 2008, after a 12-month public comment period and scientific review.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects and advances America’s heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping. It does so in the courts, state legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.  For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

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February 28, 2007

KeyBank Helping Anti-Hunters Make Money

Key Private Bank, a division of KeyBank that provides financial management services for affluent individuals, will help fill the coffers of the nation’s largest anti-hunting group.

The company is sponsoring a fundraiser for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) at the Worthington Hills Country Club in Columbus, Ohio on March 1 at 6:30 p.m. Sportsmen are concerned because the money raised will be invested in efforts to ban hunting in the Buckeye State and beyond.

“The Humane Society of the United States is behind almost every anti-hunting campaign in the country,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Senior Vice President Rick Story.  “People who support the group may think they are helping stray dogs and cats, but the money in fact aids HSUS efforts to outlaw outdoor sports, which provide the financial backbone for America ’s successful programs of wildlife conservation.”

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance explained the controversial nature of the sponsorship to KeyBank officials and asked that it withdraw its support. Mike Sherman, regional public relations director for KeyBank, replied that the company has an obligation to fulfill the sponsorship, but that future sponsorship of such events will benefit only local animal shelters interested in the humane treatment of pets.

The Humane Society of the United States opposes all animal use, including hunting, trapping and fishing. Its budget, which easily tops $100 million, goes towards legislative and ballot campaigns to ban outdoor sports. It also has a legal arm to challenge sportsmen’s rights in court.

Over the years, companies such as General Mills, Accor Hotels, Pet Safe, Sears, and Ace Hardware have learned that a relationship with the Humane Society of the United States is bad business. Those who have entered into promotions with the group have been met by a storm of protest from sportsmen who are tired of seeing American corporations doing business with anti-hunters.

Sportsmen can contact KeyBank and emphasize that support of the Humane Society of the United States will aid a movement intent on banning hunting, fishing and trapping and ending wildlife conservation programs of the state and federal wildlife agencies. Contact Mr. Henry L Meyer III, Chairman & CEO, KeyBank, 127 Public Square , Cleveland , Ohio 44114 . Call (800) 539-6070.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.  For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

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USSAF Will Defend Sportsmen in Legal Fight to Ban Trapping (Click for more)

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USSA Briefs Senators

On Hunting and Polar Bear Conservation

(Columbus) - The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance represented the nation’s sportsmen Friday as it addressed U.S. Senators on why listing the polar bear as federally threatened and curtailing Americans’ opportunities to hunt the animal will prove detrimental.

On Feb. 23, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance representative David Lampp met with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to explain how a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to list each of the 19 polar bear populations as threatened under the Endangered Species Act will impair wildlife research and conservation efforts. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, the committee’s ranking minority member, had invited the USSA to address the committee.

“Listing the polar bears puts conservation for these animals in jeopardy,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance President Bud Pidgeon. “The listing will do nothing toward addressing the environmental factors claimed to pose a long-term threat to polar bear populations. The proposed listing seems to be more a gesture of political correctness than a true conservation measure.”

“Legally hunted polar bear populations are among the healthiest populations in the world,” said Lampp. “This is due in large part to the funding that hunting provides for research and conservation, and the high economic value placed on the polar bear as a result of hunting programs.”

Lampp pointed out that the proposed listing will put an end to the Canadian hunting program, which has been part of a proven polar bear management plan.

Ninety percent of Canada’s polar bear hunting clientele come from the United States. These sportsmen, who hunt the bears and return to the U.S. with their trophies, account for approximately 80 hunts per year, which means more than $2.4 million into local communities, and polar bear research and conservation annually.

American hunters cannot pursue the animals in the United States due to restrictions in the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

“The proposed listing will prohibit the import of all polar bear trophies into the United States,” said Lampp. “This will deal a severe blow to polar bear hunting and research.”

While the listing will put effective polar bear conservation in jeopardy, the problem that the service identifies as the formidable threat to the polar bear population will not be addressed.

“The service names the loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change - not hunting - as the threat to polar bears,” said Lampp. “The Endangered Species Act provides no way for the Interior Secretary to stop climate change, thus the listing will not address the perceived threat.”

On Dec. 27, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed that the polar bear be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.  Instead of limiting threatened status to only the distinct population segments that are decreasing, the service recommendation will put all of the bears, including healthy, huntable populations, under the same restrictions.

The USSA is preparing comments to submit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opposing the proposal.  A final decision on the listing will be made in Dec. 2007 after a 12-month public comment period and scientific review.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance considers the Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to list the polar bear as a federally threatened species, including healthy Canadian populations, as another example of the federal government’s anti-hunting bias.

“The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance formed the International Hunters’ Rights Campaign in 2006 because of our concern that the federal government continues to disregard sportsmen’s interests,” said Pidgeon. “The campaign is also working to prevent the service from slashing tax deductions and imposing burdensome import regulations on international big game hunters as the Fish and Wildlife Service works on regulation reform for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.”

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects and advances America’s heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping. It does so in the courts, state legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.  For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

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The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation (USSAF) work nationwide, representing over 1.5 million sportsmen through member clubs and individual constituents.  The organizations provide legislative, legal defense and public education services to defend and advance sportsmen's rights in Washington, D.C. and in all 50 states.