Victory in Michigan as Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act Becomes Law
Safari Club International 08.27.14
Safari Club International (SCI) congratulates the Michigan House of Representatives for their bipartisan effort passing the citizen-initiated Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act (SFWCA) today. With today’s vote the SFWCA becomes law.
“SCI would like to thank the House members for their bipartisan support in protecting science based conservation in the state today by supporting SFWCA,” said Merle Shepard, Past President of SCI and Michigan resident. “In addition to the elected officials who support scientific wildlife management, SCI would like to thank the Michigan Bear Hunters Association, Michigan Hunting Dog Federation, Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Upper Peninsula Whitetails, Inc. of Marquette County, Upper Peninsula Whitetails, Inc., Upper Peninsula Sportsmen’s Alliance, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Rifle Association, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The sportsmen’s community truly came together in support of SFWCA and to take a stand against HSUS’s constant ballot box bullying.”
Out-of-state anti-hunting groups, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), have launched two referendum drives in Michigan seeking to overrule Michigan’s wildlife biologists on game management decisions. With their deep pockets, they know that once they get on a statewide ballot, it’s just a matter of spending millions of dollars in misleading advertising. They are currently trying the same strategy in Maine, just as they tried it here in 1996 and in 2006. SFWCA puts an end to the constant referendums and campaigning for proper wildlife management and replaces it with proper scientific management of wildlife.
The Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act:
- Ensures that decisions affecting the taking of fish and game are made using principles of sound scientific fish and wildlife management;
- Provides for free hunting, fishing and trapping licenses for active members of the military, and;
- Provides appropriations for fisheries management activities within Michigan necessary for rapid response, prevention, control and/or elimination of aquatic invasive species, including Asian carp.
“We are proud of every Safari Club International Member who volunteered their time to ensure the final passage of the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act this week as it became law,” concluded SCI President Craig Kauffman.
Contact:
Nelson Freeman (media@safariclub.org)
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.
