Legislative
U.S. House Rejects Polar Bear Hunting Ban
(Columbus) – The nation’s sportsmen have stood up on behalf of polar bear conservation. Congressmen have refused to impose restrictions on big game hunters that would have crippled polar bear conservation.
On June 27, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated a last minute amendment to HR 2643, the House Interior Appropriations Bill, which would have banned the import of polar bear trophies. Voting 188 to 242, the House turned down anti-hunters’ efforts to prohibit American big game hunters from pursuing healthy, sustainable polar bear populations in Canada.
“It appears U.S. representatives recognized that the effort to ban Americans from polar bear hunting is baseless from a conservation standpoint,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Senior Vice President Rick Story. “Science that shows polar bear populations are at historic highs and that there are no imminent threats to the healthy, hunt-able populations.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance worked along with the National Rifle Association and other sportsmen’s groups to help defeat the amendment. The American Wildlife Conservation Partners sent a letter of opposition signed by many of its members to all congressional offices.
American sportsmen comprise approximately 90 percent of the foreign hunting clientele in Canada, annually pouring millions of dollars into polar bear conservation and management, not to mention the financial benefits to the local communities. American hunters are the primary source of essential funding for conservation and research that allows for continued success of the populations.
Language banning the hunt has already been included in the Senate Interior Appropriations Bill.
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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SPORTSMEN MAKE PRESENCE KNOWN AT STATE CAPITOL
Sportsmen in Wisconsin have always been large in numbers and now they want to make sure that those numbers translate into political clout at the state capitol. That was the purpose behind the first annual “Sportsmen’s Day” recently conducted in Madison. The event, sponsored by the newly formed Hunters Rights Coalition attracted many of the most powerful political figures in the capitol city.
The Wisconsin Bear Hunters’ Association is a founding member of the Hunters Rights Coalition.
Among those attending and speaking to coalition members were Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem), Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, Joint Finance Chairman Senator Russ Decker (D-Schofield), and Assembly Natural Resources Chairman Scott Gunderson (R-Waterford).
Among those representing the WBHA were Board members Scott Meyer, Rob Stafsholt, and Al Lobner. Coordinating the entire event were WBHA team members Bob Welch, Joe Handrick, and Kasey Kolberg.
“We are very pleased with how this unfolded in this our first year,” said Greg Kazmierski, President of the Dairyland Chapter of Safari Club International, “The politicians know we’re here and we had good luck in letting them know about important issues that are out there.
WBHA board member Scott Meyer concurred with Kazmierski as to the importance of this type of grass-roots lobbying. “This is how grass roots lobbying is supposed to work – they (the politicians) all know we’re here.”
Joining the WBHA were representatives from the six Wisconsin chapters of Safari Club International (SCI), the Wisconsin Bear Hunters’ Association (WBHA), the Wisconsin chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), The United States Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), the NRA, and Sporting Heritage Inc.
Following the information meeting at the capitol, coalition members visited nearly all capitol offices with information packets about hunting issues in Wisconsin and background on coalition members.
Issues covered included efforts to open more land to hunting, wildlife management, and increasing opportunities for youth hunting through mentoring and hands-on training.
| Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch spoke to the Hunters Right Coalition. He is flanked by Republican State Representative Scott Gunderson and Democrat State Representative Ann Hraychuck. | Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen met with the coalition to discuss the wolf de-listing law suit. WBHA representatives grilled Van Hollen for over half an hour over the fact that the State of Wisconsin has yet to intervene in the lawsuit. | The two gentlemen to the right are Rob Stafsholt and Al Lobner from the WBHA. They joined sportsmen from around the state at the first annual Sportsmens Day at the Capitol. |
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