Hunting - Fishing - Lone Star Outdoor News

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Friday the appointments of 18 people to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, an advisory group created earlier this year to advise the two federal departments on recreational hunting and shooting and associated wildlife and habitat conservation.

Appointed to the council — to serve two-year terms — is a who’s who of wildlife notables:
• M. David Allen (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
• Jeffrey S. Crane (Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation)
• Robert R. Fithian (Alaska Professional Hunters Association, Inc.)
• John E. Frampton (SC Department of Natural Resources)
• Thomas Franklin (Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership)
• Ron Heward (rancher, Bates Hole/Shirley Basin Sage Grouse Working Group)
• Robert Manes (The Nature Conservancy)
• Frederick D. Maulson (Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission)
• Tommy Millner (Cabela’s)
• Robert Model (Boone and Crockett Club)
• Joanna Prukop (Freedom to Roam)
• Stephen L. Sanetti (National Shooting Sports Foundation)
• Larry Schweiger (National Wildlife Federation)
• Christine L. Thomas (College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin)
• George C. Thornton (National Wild Turkey Federation)
• John Tomke (Ducks Unlimited)
• Howard K. Vincent (Pheasants Forever)
• Steve Williams (Wildlife Management Institute)

The council is an official advisory group under the Federal Advisory Committee Act that will help promote and preserve America’s hunting heritage for future generations. It will also provide a forum for sportsmen and women to advise the federal government on policies related to wildlife and habitat conservation endeavors that benefit recreational hunting, benefit wildlife resources and encourage partnership among the public, the sporting conservation community, the shooting and hunting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, the states, Native American tribes and the federal government.

“Maintaining and conserving wildlife habitat and water resources that are so important to America’s hunting and angling heritage in the face of today’s conservation challenges requires a coordinated effort between federal, state and local officials and partners in the private sector,” Vilsack said. “The members of Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council will play a crucial role in our ongoing efforts to improve the health and management of America’s public and private lands.”

Inspired by the legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt, hunters long have taken the lead in the conservation of the nation’s wildlife and its habitat, Salazar said.

“I am pleased so many of the leaders in our nation’s hunting and conservation community have accepted an invitation to serve on the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council,”he  said.

The new council replaces and improves upon the previously existing Sporting Conservation Council by expanding membership to include the archery, hunting and shooting sports industries, as well as including broader representation from the nation’s major hunting organizations. The council’s charter also more clearly defines its responsibilities in supporting the public, the sporting conservation community, the shooting and hunting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, and the State and Federal governments.