Hunters Set to Lobby for Future of Outdoor Recreation in Nation’s Capital
Safari Club International 04.17.13
On May 9th the voice of hunters will be heard throughout the halls of the Capitol building, as 150 members of Safari Club International (SCI) will come to Capitol Hill to lobby for legislation to improve hunting throughout the U.S. The members of SCI will have breakfast with members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, face-to-face meetings with Senate and House members, and discussions with critical legislative staff.
“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus is the largest bi-partisan and bi-cameral caucus in Washington, D.C. and Safari Club International is proud to be one of its biggest supporters,” said SCI President John Whipple. “Members of Congress care about hunting and they care about the outdoors. SCI will make sure they understand the future of our outdoor heritage depends on the passage of comprehensive legislation protecting the right to hunt on millions of acres of public lands.”
More than 200 meetings will take place on May 9, 2013, as part of Safari Club International’s overall advocacy efforts to protect the future of hunting. The grassroots involvement from SCI members enhances the presence and benefit of SCI’s D.C. office. While headquartered in Tucson, Ariz., SCI’s advocacy efforts are led by a team of attorneys, policy experts and dedicated hunters in Washington.
“For more than 75 years, hunters have been trailblazing a path for the future of our outdoor heritage and for wildlife conservation; it is our responsibility to carry the banner as individual sportsmen and women. I hope every hunter can join us on Capitol Hill May 9th,” concluded Whipple.
If you are interested in protecting the freedom to hunt, please register for the SCI Lobby Day immediately by contacting media@safariclub.org. Participation is near capacity so do not miss out on your opportunity to protect the future of the outdoors.
Protecting hunters’ rights and promoting wildlife conservation, SCI’s two areas of focus, historically has been the interest of hundreds of individuals long before SCI was established. But how did SCI as an organization begin?
Forty years ago, there were many safari clubs across the country made up of local, unaffiliated groups of hunters. One such was Safari Club of Los Angeles, which was formed in April 1971 by forty-seven individuals. In early 1972, an out-of-towner from a similar club in Chicago attended one of the monthly Wednesday night meetings, and it was decided that the L.A. club should attempt to combine with the one in Chicago to make it an affiliated chapter. The founder of Safari Club of Los Angeles, C.J. McElroy, went to the Windy City and instituted the new chapter.
Eleven months after the formation of Safari Club of Los Angeles, on March 9, 1972, the name was changed officially to Safari Club International. SCI continued to reach out to other independent safari clubs throughout the United States in an effort to combine them into a single overall organization.
Today, interest in SCI’s two primary missions has grown a worldwide network. Subsequent involvement and promotion of these missions is rooted in each of our 55,000 members, supported through each of our 190 membership chapters found across the globe, and put into action by government representatives and personnel both nationally and internationally.
In this way, we can encourage an appreciation for nature and wildlife so that conservation efforts remain strong, while also fighting to protect our rich hunting heritage. Big changes can be achieved through the endeavors of many who are united in a mission – the mission of Safari Club International.
