A coalition of the nation’s largest hunting and conservation organizations welcomed a provision championed by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) member Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho and CSC Senate Co-Chair, Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as part of the FY 2011 budget agreement to fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year.

The coalition includes Safari Club International, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Rifle Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Sheep Foundation, the Boone and Crockett Club, and Pope and Young Club.

The groups support this initial step toward state management of recovered wolves and the clear assertion by Congress that recovered wildlife should be delisted from the ESA. The groups also note that other states have recovered wolf populations that have not yet been delisted and urge Congress to actively pursue delisting for those states also.

The Simpson-Tester rider directs the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the latest (2009) ruling declaring the wolf recovered and to return wolf management to state agencies in Montana and Idaho, as well as portions of Utah, Washington and Oregon. Additionally, the provision precludes further lawsuits and preserves the decision made by Wyoming U.S. District Judge Johnson in November 2010, that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) wrongfully rejected Wyoming’s wolf management plan.

“This agreement is only the first step in returning management of the gray wolf back to state authority where it belongs,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President Jeff Crane. “Thanks to the leadership of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, a concrete move towards delisting has been taken and certain states will once again have the authority to manage wolves in the near future.”

Dr. Larry Rudolph, President of Safari Club International, said “We are pleased that the work of this important coalition has yielded a historical precedent from the Congress to cut off the endless litigation and return recovered populations of wolves to state management.”

“Federal management goals were met for all wolf populations at least 10 years ago and wolves now number at least five times over the federal goals. Federal officials at the USFWS have attempted delisting three times in the Rockies and Great Lakes and – despite the clear achievement of recovery – each attempt was turned back to the USFWS on questions of process. This fix is long overdue and we applaud it,” said David Allen, CEO of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

The coalition noted that the Congressional mandate applies to only a part of the area where wolves are beyond recovery goals. Wyoming’s wolves remain under federal ESA protection. Only parts of Washington, Oregon, and Utah are included in the delisting although wolves are moving into other parts of those states. The Western Great Lakes area is excluded from the provision, where a fourth round of rulemaking is expected to begin soon.

Chris Cox, Executive Director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, said, “We are pleased with this important step and hope that opponents of delisting have gotten the message that Congress is sending. We will be closely watching the pending delisting in the Western Great Lakes. In the meantime, we will continue to push for a comprehensive solution in Congress.”

“It is unwise to try the same thing over and over again and expect a different result,” said Gray Thornton, CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “We’ve seen three times already that this process is unclear and causes – as Judge Molloy described it – ‘turmoil of legal issues with practical management issues’. This is a problem only Congress can fix. Congress has now fixed part of the Rockies and the Northwest. Turmoil will continue until Congress completes the job in the Rockies, including Wyoming, the Northwest and the Great Lakes region – and anywhere else where wolf populations are recovered.”

The wolf delisting agreement in the FY 2011 budget came on the heels of Montana U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruling against a settlement proposal by environmental groups that would have returned wolf management temporarily to Idaho and Montana only.

In order to return all recovered wolf populations to state managers, the group supports further efforts in Congress and the Administration until a comprehensive fix is complete.

About the Hunters’ Defense Fund: Safari Club International Hunters’ Defense Fund supports the important advocacy, conservation and legal work keeping hunters afield and promoting hunting worldwide. Donations to the Hunters’ Defense Fund have a direct impact on our freedom to hunt, wildlife conservation policy and important legislative, regulatory and legal issues. DONATE NOW: www.safariclub.org/hunterdefense

Becoming an SCI Member: Joining Safari Club International is the best way to be an advocate for continuing our hunting heritage and supporting worldwide sustainable use conservation, wildlife education and humanitarian services. JOIN NOW: www.safariclub.org/Join.

Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.

In a ruling issued today, Safari Club International (SCI) claimed a major victory in a lawsuit that has threatened hunting on National Wildlife Refuges since it was filed in 2003. Judge Gwin of the Ohio federal district court today issued a ruling in favor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and SCI to protect our public lands and keep them open for hunting.

The Fund for Animals sued to challenge hunting on 37 refuges throughout the National Wildlife Refuge system, claiming that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had not completed a sufficient environmental analysis of the impact of hunting on these refuges. SCI immediately joined as an intervenor in the case on behalf of the FWS in order to help defend the hunting opportunities that exist on the refuges.

In 2006, the case saw a setback, when a D.C. federal district court ruled in the Plaintiffs’ favor, sending the matter back to the FWS to conduct additional environmental review. The case then expanded to include additional refuges that had been opened to hunting since the case began, and Plaintiffs amended their original claims in an attempt to stop hunting on almost 70 refuges throughout the country.

After the FWS complied with the court order to conduct additional environmental review, the case returned to court for its examination of the agency’s revised efforts. Once again, SCI’s litigators aggressively defended the agency’s compliance, this time meeting with success. Judge Gwin issued a resounding ruling in favor of the FWS and SCI, leaving no room for question about the Fund for Animals’ failure to substantiate its challenge against refuge hunting.

“This is a long overdue victory for SCI and our litigation team’s efforts to protect the freedom to hunt and keep our public lands open for hunting,” said SCI President Larry Rudolph. “It is clear that the facts were on our side in this case. I commend Judge Gwin for his decision and believe that SCI’s participation in this case proves once again that we truly are First for Hunters.”

SCI was joined in its intervention by U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, the California Waterfowl Association, and Izaak Walton League of America.

About the Hunters’ Defense Fund:
Safari Club International Hunters’ Defense Fund supports the important advocacy, conservation and legal work keeping hunters afield and promoting hunting worldwide. Donations to the Hunters’ Defense Fund have a direct impact on our freedom to hunt, wildlife conservation policy and important legislative, regulatory and legal issues. DONATE NOW:
www.safariclub.org/hunterdefense

Becoming an SCI Member:
Joining Safari Club International is the best way to be an advocate for continuing our hunting heritage and supporting worldwide sustainable use conservation, wildlife education and humanitarian services. JOIN NOW:
www.safariclub.org/Join.

Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.

In the last decade, Safari Club International has spent $140 million on protecting the freedom to hunt through advocacy, research and education to ensure that the hunting heritage is accessible for future generations. These programs benefit hunters throughout North American, and the majority of the work is funded with proceeds from its Annual Hunter’s Convention,  January 20-23 in Reno, Nevada.

Through direct involvement and partnerships with other conservation organizations, SCI contributes to dozens of projects in the United States and Canada every year. Earlier this year, Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) and Mossy Oak joined forces to help ensure healthy white-tail deer populations throughout North America. They have provided funding for white-tailed deer research at the University of Georgia and the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study.

The project will investigate reasons for expansion of epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses (EHDV) and bluetongue viruses (BTV), better define the impacts of these viruses on deer populations, and then develop recommendations to control and curtail spread of the diseases if possible. The research findings will be shared with the hunting public and wildlife professionals to better maintain healthy white-tailed deer populations throughout North America.

On the West Coast, SCI’s efforts also contributed to the successful vote by the California Fish and Game Commission against extending the current lead ammunition ban for big game hunting to the hunting of small game and upland birds in so-called condor “range.” SCI filed comments that agreed with the finding of the California Fish and Game Department that the extension of the ban was not supported by the science.

The participation of Safari Club International (SCI) in a federal lawsuit has helped ensure that hunters in Idaho and Montana can continue hunting wolves under state seasons. The Montana federal court denied a preliminary injunction requested by Defenders of Wildlife and other plaintiffs who sued to stop the hunting season, and to challenge the delisting of Idaho and Montana’s wolves.

SCI was also instrumental in successfully challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ban on the import of polar bears from Canada. When the FWS listed the polar bear as threatened in May 2008, it also determined that imports of polar bear legally hunted from approved populations in Canada would no longer be allowed, as they had been for the previous 12 years. In June, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rebuffed the FWS’s attempt to have SCI’s lawsuit dismissed without full briefing on the merits.

Another key research project funded by SCI involves the decline of woodland caribou in northern Quebec and Labrador. The caribou herds are vital to the local Inuit and Cree Indians who hunt them for subsistence, but also rely on income generated from guiding and outfitting hunters. Early indications have shown that loss of habitat and predation by black bears are two crucial factors that need to be addressed in order to preserve this resource and hunting opportunity.

These are just a few examples of the conservation efforts in North America that are made possible through the generous support of its Convention exhibitors, donors, advertisers, members and corporate sponsors. For more information on these and other conservation projects in North America, visit the SCI web site at www.safariclub.org.

SCI-First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 190 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 18 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.

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