spectr17
02-09-2007, 05:28 PM
Subject: meeting March 17
TO ALL
To me it is becoming more and more evident that our outdoor organizations need to pool their resources and form a group that will challenge land use issues, hunting and fishing issues and firearms or support an organization that is not afraid to take these issues to court when our outdoor activities are threatened. What we need to establish or support financially is an organization that is on the offensive. In other words, we need to be prepared to have legal representation and input when our recreation choices are under attack. Attacks can be disguised as Endangered Species Act, Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements, General Management Plans, etc. I feel what is needed is for all organizations to contribute to a single legal fund with the primary purpose of recognizing threats and becoming involved legally with these threats. As hard as this will be to accept (and for me to say this), we have to cease looking at what affects us personally and begin to look at the big picture. We must have legal representation to protect us ALL.
What follows are just a few of the latest threats that could drastically affect our future as hunters, trappers, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts, trail riders, etc.
-- The CA condor is at the top of the list as we speak. The restrictions on the use of our public lands could be far reaching when it comes to the condor and the ESA. We better be prepared to go to court.
-- The Canadian Lynx, protected by the ESA, is another one. Minnesota sportsman are facing multiple restrictions on their hunting and trapping.
-- New Jersey's black bear season?
-- CA Wilderness areas, i.e. Sheep Hole Mountains -- it has taken over three years of paperwork and still no big game guzzler for the bighorns in the northwestern Sheep Hole Mountains.
-- Water wells on the Mojave National Preserve -- Congressmen Jerry Lewis and Duncan Hunter, Department of Interior, and our county Supervisor have been in favor of restoring these wells for the wildlife and after four years still no water flows.
-- The polar bear and the Endangered Species Act?
-- Columbus Ohio; "The Sportsmen' Legal Defense Fund is urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to appeal a JUDGE'S decision handed down yesterday that likely will outlaw hunting on 37 units of the National Wildlife Refuge System."
What I have listed above is just a grain of sand on the beach as to what is happening to our outdoor heritage.
A couple of quotes from the U.S, Sportsman's Alliance Report.
"Sportsmen Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) is the ONLY litigation entity in the country established specifically to represent sportsmen in lawsuits that affect outdoor sports. A priority of the anti hunting groups includes launching a barrage of lawsuits against government wildlife management and natural resource agencies to stop or affect hunting on public lands."
"On October 19, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, the nation's leading sportsmen advocacy organization, met with leaders of the CA Outdoor Heritage Alliance to discuss the increasing threats to our outdoor traditions being faced by California's sportsmen and women".
"The U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation has filed to represent sportsmen in a precedent-setting lawsuit brought by animal activists to derail hunting, fishing and trapping for abundant game where endangered or threatened species exist."
"It is important for sportsmen to understand this lawsuit represents far more than a strike against a single sport, said Sexton. "The trappers won't be the only ones impacted. If anti's can stop all trapping in a place where there is a risk of catching a Canadian lynx, they can just as easily try to stop fishing in bodies of water where there is a risk of catching an endangered species of sturgeon."
Fund for Animals, the Humane Society of the United States, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), Sierra Club, Wilderness Coalitions are just a few that are very willing to go to court to take away our rights to hunt and enjoy the great outdoors.
The over all goal would be to have our attorney's willing and waiting to take issues to court that threaten our hunting, fishing and overall outdoor recreation.
As a parting thought, who do you call when you discover something amiss in your backyard that could affect your use of the outdoors? The benefit of a legal organization is very apparent when I think of what could have been done and how much time and money could have been saved had we the foresight to insist on protecting the existing water sources for wildlife in the General Management Plan of the Mojave National Preserve.
Who should be at this meeting: SCI, COHA, QU, CDA, MDF, DU, SCBS, FNAWS, Elk Foundation, Turkey Federation, Orange County Predator Callers, CA Varmint Association and any other sporting groups with a stake in our outdoors. What does the future hold for us? Where do we go from here? How do we decide our future without sitting at the table? I will be preparing an agenda for this meeting and I welcome any input and questions from all groups. This agenda will be put together by the end of the first week in February so please let me know your thoughts. I have received some good input from individuals along with their encouragement but I would like to hear specifically from the groups that are willing to participate in this meeting.
The meeting is currently scheduled for March 17, 2007, 10:00 AM at Raahauge's Gun Club, located in Corona, 5 miles west of the I-5 at the Dunnigan exit. (Road 6) Follow road 6 west to junction of Rd. 86 and Rd. 8. You will see the Raahauge’s sign before you reach the entrance.
Best regards
Cliff McDonald
760-326-2935
TO ALL
To me it is becoming more and more evident that our outdoor organizations need to pool their resources and form a group that will challenge land use issues, hunting and fishing issues and firearms or support an organization that is not afraid to take these issues to court when our outdoor activities are threatened. What we need to establish or support financially is an organization that is on the offensive. In other words, we need to be prepared to have legal representation and input when our recreation choices are under attack. Attacks can be disguised as Endangered Species Act, Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements, General Management Plans, etc. I feel what is needed is for all organizations to contribute to a single legal fund with the primary purpose of recognizing threats and becoming involved legally with these threats. As hard as this will be to accept (and for me to say this), we have to cease looking at what affects us personally and begin to look at the big picture. We must have legal representation to protect us ALL.
What follows are just a few of the latest threats that could drastically affect our future as hunters, trappers, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts, trail riders, etc.
-- The CA condor is at the top of the list as we speak. The restrictions on the use of our public lands could be far reaching when it comes to the condor and the ESA. We better be prepared to go to court.
-- The Canadian Lynx, protected by the ESA, is another one. Minnesota sportsman are facing multiple restrictions on their hunting and trapping.
-- New Jersey's black bear season?
-- CA Wilderness areas, i.e. Sheep Hole Mountains -- it has taken over three years of paperwork and still no big game guzzler for the bighorns in the northwestern Sheep Hole Mountains.
-- Water wells on the Mojave National Preserve -- Congressmen Jerry Lewis and Duncan Hunter, Department of Interior, and our county Supervisor have been in favor of restoring these wells for the wildlife and after four years still no water flows.
-- The polar bear and the Endangered Species Act?
-- Columbus Ohio; "The Sportsmen' Legal Defense Fund is urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to appeal a JUDGE'S decision handed down yesterday that likely will outlaw hunting on 37 units of the National Wildlife Refuge System."
What I have listed above is just a grain of sand on the beach as to what is happening to our outdoor heritage.
A couple of quotes from the U.S, Sportsman's Alliance Report.
"Sportsmen Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) is the ONLY litigation entity in the country established specifically to represent sportsmen in lawsuits that affect outdoor sports. A priority of the anti hunting groups includes launching a barrage of lawsuits against government wildlife management and natural resource agencies to stop or affect hunting on public lands."
"On October 19, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, the nation's leading sportsmen advocacy organization, met with leaders of the CA Outdoor Heritage Alliance to discuss the increasing threats to our outdoor traditions being faced by California's sportsmen and women".
"The U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation has filed to represent sportsmen in a precedent-setting lawsuit brought by animal activists to derail hunting, fishing and trapping for abundant game where endangered or threatened species exist."
"It is important for sportsmen to understand this lawsuit represents far more than a strike against a single sport, said Sexton. "The trappers won't be the only ones impacted. If anti's can stop all trapping in a place where there is a risk of catching a Canadian lynx, they can just as easily try to stop fishing in bodies of water where there is a risk of catching an endangered species of sturgeon."
Fund for Animals, the Humane Society of the United States, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), Sierra Club, Wilderness Coalitions are just a few that are very willing to go to court to take away our rights to hunt and enjoy the great outdoors.
The over all goal would be to have our attorney's willing and waiting to take issues to court that threaten our hunting, fishing and overall outdoor recreation.
As a parting thought, who do you call when you discover something amiss in your backyard that could affect your use of the outdoors? The benefit of a legal organization is very apparent when I think of what could have been done and how much time and money could have been saved had we the foresight to insist on protecting the existing water sources for wildlife in the General Management Plan of the Mojave National Preserve.
Who should be at this meeting: SCI, COHA, QU, CDA, MDF, DU, SCBS, FNAWS, Elk Foundation, Turkey Federation, Orange County Predator Callers, CA Varmint Association and any other sporting groups with a stake in our outdoors. What does the future hold for us? Where do we go from here? How do we decide our future without sitting at the table? I will be preparing an agenda for this meeting and I welcome any input and questions from all groups. This agenda will be put together by the end of the first week in February so please let me know your thoughts. I have received some good input from individuals along with their encouragement but I would like to hear specifically from the groups that are willing to participate in this meeting.
The meeting is currently scheduled for March 17, 2007, 10:00 AM at Raahauge's Gun Club, located in Corona, 5 miles west of the I-5 at the Dunnigan exit. (Road 6) Follow road 6 west to junction of Rd. 86 and Rd. 8. You will see the Raahauge’s sign before you reach the entrance.
Best regards
Cliff McDonald
760-326-2935