Washington, DC – On Tuesday, June 19, 2012, Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) Chairman of Conservation & SCI Vice-President, Dr. Al Maki, will testify before the Space, Science, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. The hearing will cover “The Science of How Hunting Assists Species Conservation and Management.”
The hearing will seek to highlight the role that sportsmen and women play in wildlife conservation, both domestically and internationally.Dr. Maki will highlight how the Endangered Species Act (ESA) works against hunters and their conservation efforts. He will speak on this issue from the standpoint of both a professional biologist and an avid hunter and conservationist.
“Government regulations, whether they are a part of the Endangered Species Act or supported by anti-hunting bureaucrats, should not impede conservation funding,” said Dr. Maki. “Hunters have provided too many resources in the form of excise taxes, license sales, and volunteering with organizations like SCI just to be casually overlooked by policy makers.”
Hunters and anglers have voluntarily contributed over $10 billion dollars to conservation efforts through excise taxes alone since the 1937 inception of the Pittman-Robertson Act. They have been, and remain to be, the largest advocates of wildlife conservation. However, their efforts have been largely impeded due to the framework of the ESA.
The Fish and Wildlife Service and environmental groups have used the ESA to prevent the use of hunting as a conservation measure. Dr. Maki will present several examples of the ESA’s inefficiency, including how the Act harms species enhancement within the United States and beyond.
“We greatly appreciate Congressman Broun and the entire subcommittee’s dedication to address government actions that continually undermine hunter engagement in the conservation of our nation’s wildlife,” concluded Maki.
