Safari Club International Increases Benefits, Encourages Membership
Safari Club International 09.11.13
For over forty years Safari Club International has been dedicated to protecting hunters’ rights and promoting wildlife conservation. Through a worldwide network the 55,000 members who belong to 200 local chapters help encourage an appreciation for nature and wildlife so that conservation efforts remain strong, while also fighting to protect the rich hunting heritage.
SCI accomplishes its main goals through a number of programs including advocacy, education, representation and the networking of its members.
Since 2000, SCI has spent $140 million to protect the freedom to hunt through policy advocacy, litigation and education for state legislators to ensure hunting is protected for future generations. Through direct involvement and partnerships with like-minded organizations, SCI has become a political force in Washington, D.C., as well as other world capitals.
The weekly e-bulletin In the Crosshairs provides breaking news to more than 45,000 SCI members on a weekly basis about legal issues and government actions. Members also receive 12 issues of Safari Times and six issues of SAFARI Magazine containing useful tips and tactics as well as exciting stories from other members’ hunts.
Individuals who become SCI members are eligible to attend the SCI Annual Hunter’s Convention, submit trophies to the SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals and be considered for the Awards Program. They also have access to the Hunter’s Hotline for important information and updates on importation of trophies and travelling with firearms, access to hunt reports from around the world, free admission to the International Wildlife Museum at SCI headquarters in Tucson, Arizona and an official SCI membership card.
By joining SCI, new members are connected with over 55,000 like-minded hunter/conservationists who believe in presenting hunting in a positive light to the non-hunting community. By practicing ethical hunting as well as participating in humanitarian efforts around the globe, people can be educated about the positive impact hunting has on game populations and local economies. Local chapters focus on projects in their areas such as Sportsmen Against Hunger and wildlife habitat restoration to name a few. With chapters in all 50 states it is easy to get connected and participate.
Funding for SCI’s efforts comes primarily from their Annual Hunters’ Convention, the Ultimate Hunters’ Market. Next year’s 42nd Annual Hunters’ Convention will have every possible hunting expedition, safari, fishing excursion, and fine firearm on display for sportsmen and women of every interest level. Six continents of adventure and wonder are under one roof at SCI’s Annual Hunters’ Convention. There are dozens of informative and educational seminars designed to provide attendees the opportunity to learn new hunting techniques or refine old ones on countless topics that appeal to the hunting sportsman.
The 2014 Convention runs from February 5-8 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pre-registration discounts are available now!
For more information, to join or register, visit www.showsci.org or call 1-888-746-9724.
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.
