Washington, D.C. – Safari Club International (SCI) board members will participate in more than 170 meetings this week with members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on behalf of hunters everywhere. Safari Club International’s annual “Lobby Day” on Capitol Hill represents the largest gathering of U.S. hunters in Washington, D.C. This year, hunters are requesting legislative progress on key legislation to help ensure sportsmen and women can continue to hunt on the nation’s public lands.
SCI’s members will be asking their representatives to cosponsor and hold a hearing on H.R. 3749, the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act of 2009 which was introduced by Congressman Dan Boren (D-OK), Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and a Life Member of SCI. Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced the companion legislation, S. 1770, in the Senate. This legislation will:
· Direct federal land management agencies charged to provide for and promote sportsmen’s use and access of public lands in their land management plans;
· Require that planning evaluate the effects of management on sportsmen’s activities;
· Ensure each state’s authority to manage fish and wildlife on federal public lands is preserved and that the states have the exclusive authority to require licenses or permits of sportsmen;
· The bill does not open new lands to hunting, fishing, or recreational shooting, however it does greatly enhance the ability of Federal land managers to provide for this traditional use of public lands in safe areas and to plan recreational use that balances the needs and interests of a diverse recreating public.
“The two hundred sportsmen and women traveling to Washington on May 13, who represent SCI’s 53,000 worldwide members, are adamant that Congress take real action to protect hunting on our public lands,” said SCI President Dr. Larry Rudolph. “Standing alongside our partners in conservation who together represent millions of American hunters, we urge members of Congress to support H.R. 3749.”
Other legislation SCI will be discussing this week include:
H.R. 1831 & S. 812: Conservation Easement Incentive Act Of 2009
H.R. 1054 & S. 1395: Importation Permits For Polar Bears
H.R. 510 & S. 632: Firearms & Ammunition Affordability Act Of 2009
H.R. 1454: Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp
Safari Club International is the only hunter-led conservation organization that has a full service office in Washington, D.C. with policy experts, wildlife lawyers and professional wildlife biologists who work daily alongside our lobbyists to promote and protect our hunting heritage.
