Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) Meeting: Wildlife directors and professionals from all across North America gathered in Calgary, Alberta during the week of September 24th for the 113th Annual AFWA Meeting, hosted by the Alberta Ministry of Forestry and Parks. SCI was in attendance to represent its membership and engage on conservation and hunting issues. SCI State and Local Liaisons Bee Frederick and Chris Tymeson as well as International Affairs Liaison and Litigation Counsel Jeremy Clare and Litigation Counsel Regina Lennox attended, meeting with wildlife regulators and other non-governmental organizations on topics of importance to SCI and its chapters and members. The meeting included attendance at the following presentations, reports and related gatherings: the International Relations Committee, the Legislative and Federal Budget Committee, the Federal Public Lands Committee, the Threatened and Endangered Species Committee, Human Wildlife Conflict Committee, the Legal Committee, the Law Enforcement Committee, the AFWA Legal Strategies Advisory Council, the Waterfowl Working Group, the Sustainable Wildlife Use Committee, the Lead and Fish and Wildlife Working Group and the Hunting and Shooting Sports Participation Committee, in addition to the various networking and social meetings and opportunities. As usual at AFWA meetings, SCI presented in two of those Committees (Legal and Sustainable Use). SCI continues to lead from the front and is always first for hunters. Pictured L-R: Chris Tymeson, Western State and Local Liaison, Regina Lennox, Litigation Counsel, Jeremy Clare, International Affairs Liaison and Litigation Counsel and Bee Frederick, Eastern State and Local Liaison.
Alabama: The City of Decatur, Alabama is currently considering a major infrastructure project with potentially devastating consequences for sportsmen and women who hunt and/or recreate in Swan Creek WMA, specifically waterfowlers in the Tennessee River Valley. Act now!
Colorado: A ballot measure has been filed that would ban “trophy hunting” of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx in Colorado. The disingenuous anti-hunting groups behind the measure mischaracterize their true intentions as the proposed definition of “trophy hunting” would include essentially include all hunting and trapping of the listed species. In addition, the language of the measure claims that “trophy hunting” is inhumane, that hunters don’t utilize the meat and that fair chase is not observed when hunting mountain lions, bobcats and lynx, all of which are outright lies. Additionally, the proponents pretend that the hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx is unregulated, despite the fact that seasons of take apply to mountain lions and bobcats, that bobcats may only be trapped by box trap and that lynx are federally protected and hunting and trapping of the species is prohibited.
Colorado:SCI also joined other hunting and conservation organizations in the Colorado Wildlife Conservation partnership in opposition to the Mad Rabbit Environmental Assessment done by the US Forest Service. Read the letter.
Massachusetts: SCI joined six other hunting and conservation organizations in a letter to the MA Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security to oppose legislation that would unnecessarily overhaul the state’s firearms laws and implement restrictions that will be extremely prohibitive to sportsmen and conservation. Read the letter.
