SCI to Testify on Legislation to Protect Hunting on America’s Public Lands
Safari Club International 05.08.13
Melissa Simpson, Safari Club International’s Director of Government Affairs, will be testifying before the House of Representatives’ Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee on Thursday May 9, 2013. Simpson’s testimony will support H.R. 1825, the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act — introduced by Congressman Dan Benishek of Michigan and nine original co-sponsors.
“As a hunter and longtime advocate for multiple-use of public lands, it is encouraging to see that Congress is willing to address the vital issue of hunting access to public land,” said Simpson. “SCI would like to thank Congressman Dan Benishek and his staff for championing legislation that affirms the rightful place of hunting on public lands, rather than sitting back and watching as hunting opportunities are eliminated by costly and unnecessary litigation.”
A recent poll conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Responsive Management shows that over 79% of Americans support hunting. Additionally, hunters generated an enormous economic impact with nearly $40 billion in spending in 2011, the vast majority of which benefited community economies in rural America. That is more than the total national revenues of Comcast in 2011, according to a recent Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation report.
The May 9th hearing on H.R. 1825 is being held on the same day as Safari Club International’s annual lobbying day, during which more than 200 Congressional meetings will be attended by SCI’s membership. SCI is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt, and this annual exercise of “boots on the ground” grassroots involvement from SCI members multiplies the effectiveness of SCI’s Washington, D.C. office which is led by a team of attorneys, policy experts, and dedicated hunters.
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.
