President understands sportsmen are essential to wildlife conservation.
An Executive Order issued by the President of the United States will spell more hunting opportunities and enhanced conservation efforts, according to the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the nation’s premier sportsmen’s rights advocacy organization.
Today, President George W. Bush released the order, entitled “Facilitation of Hunting and Wildlife Conservation.” It directs all relevant federal agencies to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of hunting opportunities, wildlife management and habitat.
“The Executive Order is a great milestone for sportsmen and wildlife conservation,” said Bud Pidgeon, president and CEO of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. “It clearly demonstrates that the President understands the unbreakable bond between successful wildlife conservation and hunting - that sportsmen are the key to abundant wildlife and habitat.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance proposed that the White House issue an Executive Order on hunting early in President Bush’s first term, and again in 2007. The order, number 13,443, directs federal agencies that manage public land, outdoor recreation and wildlife management to:
Address declining trends and implement actions that expand and enhance hunting opportunities,
Consider the economic and recreational value of hunting
Manage wildlife and habitat in a manner that expands and enhances hunting opportunities.
Work collaboratively with states to manage wildlife in a manner that respects private property rights and state authority over wildlife.
Establish goals with the states to foster healthy game populations.
“The order gives federal agencies a clear-cut directive that they work to increase hunting opportunities with state wildlife agencies,” said Pidgeon. “It will result in more resources directed at preserving the future of hunting and greater access to public land. The President is to be commended.”
Tags: George W. Bush, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Wildlife Conservation, Hunting Opportunities
6 comments:
Othmar,
I actually saw this over at http://www.huntinglife.com as well. I put there that this is the best news I have heard in quite awhile. Very cool!
Yes this is very good news for the hunters. To be frank I never liked Bush from the first day he entered office but with this he has redeemed himself a bit by me.
-Othmar Vohringer-
I'm a hunter, and I disagree with this anti-environmental excess.
Bush/Cheney have been terrible at protecting public lands, and hunting has suffered in many areas.
See: http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=907
Thank you for the comment az hunter. You’re right, in the past Bush has been pretty ignorant about conservation and environment. When I heard the news of Bush’s order I was very surprised as this has been the last thing that I expected to hear from him. I am absolutely sure that this is not the president’s brainchild. I am convinced that he has been lobbied by hunting organizations such as the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and others.
The only aspect I do not agree with you is the “anti-environmental excess” as you but it. If you read the order you will see that it is all about protecting the environment and public land. The only way we can keep public land open and out of the hands of developers is to open it all to hunting which in turn generates the finances to manage that land.
With an ever growing deer herd, that in some areas has reached the status of “nuisance” we need a lot more hunters to keep these herds in check. Promoting hunting therefore makes a lot of sense to me.
That the article you pointed out is not in favor of Bush’s order does not surprise me the least. The PEER organization has a reputation of sympathizing with the animal rights and anti hunters view. With a view point like that it is only natural that PEER does not want to see more hunters and more land opened up for hunting.
-Othmar Vohringer-
Good post and interesting comments.
Thanks Matt for stopping by. Lately we have had quite a bit of good news. The antis lost a case big time. Then we learn that the Bank of America donates a big whack of money to Ducks Unlimited. The government of British Columbia changes the wildlife act to make it easier for hunters to go hunting in form of opening up more lands and giving landowners incentives to let hunters on their land among many other things.
This seems to turn out a good year for hunter recognition. It’s about time too.
-Othmar Vohringer-
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