Published: June 9, 2011

President Obama has nominated the leader of a conservation group to be the Interior Department’s next assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, a position that oversees national parks and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rebecca Wodder, who since 1995 has served as CEO of American Rivers, a national river conservation group, was picked to replace Tom Strickland, who left Interior for the private sector in early January.

Wodder’s selection is seen as a nod to environmental groups and could draw opposition from some…more here

 Michigan 2011 license holders enjoy big discounts on MIS tickets
 
Hunters and anglers – show your 2011 Michigan hunting or fishing license at Michigan International Speedway and get 50 percent off Friday and Saturday tickets for June 17th and 18th, and $10 off Turn 1 Sunday tickets for June 19th. Just go to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) booth, show your license, and get a voucher for the MIS box office.
 
Michigan is home to some of the finest hunting and fishing around, with more than 11,000 inland lakes, 36,000 miles of rivers and streams, more freshwater shoreline than any other state and 8 million acres of public hunting land. Pick up your license and find out why we rank third in the nation in licensed hunters and why Field and Stream recently named us the No. 1 fly-fishing destination in the nation.
 
When you buy a Michigan hunting or fishing license, you’re doing so much more. Every license purchased aids the push to keep Michigan’s hunting and fishing heritage alive by contributing to fish and wildlife management and research, enforcement of fishing and hunting laws, and acquisition of land to be used for hunting and fishing. Now that’s a race worth winning!
 
To plan your next hunting or fishing adventure, visit www.michigan.gov/dnr.

By Glen Wunderlich

On a recent trip through Ohio, farmland flooding covered the low-lying landscape.  The fate of the farmer was out of his hands, as excessive rains destroyed early planting efforts.  Those “lucky” enough not to have planted were no longer able, because of the standing water.  Farmers don’t have to travel to Las Vegas to gamble; it’s the nature of their livelihood.  For those of us who plant wildlife food plots, the odds are not any better, but at least our incomes are not dependent on results. 

While the baiting and feeding issue in the Lower Peninsula remains in limbo, food plots are a sure-fire means to increase your hunting chances in the fall, if you have access to private land.  Many hunters that I know lease land yet are still planting to attract and hold game.  Bait can certainly draw deer into an area, as long as a hunter continues to haul it to a given site.  But, one who works the land not only gains an advantage for hunting purposes, he has the ability to provide nourishment to wildlife throughout the year after planting is complete.  With the proper balance of perennial and annual plots, deer, turkeys, rabbits, pheasants, and other game animals may just call your habitat home. Read more

Released: 5/25/2011 4:53:19 PM

Long-term impacts of the chronic wasting disease (CWD) epidemic in North American deer, elk and moose will depend on how the disease persists in the environment, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

On May 24, House Bill 4371 passed in the Michigan House by an 85 to 23 vote and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.
 
Introduced by state Representative Peter Pettalia (R-106), HB 4371 would establish a mentored youth hunting program allowing parents to determine at which age their kids are ready to hunt. Current Michigan law requires a child to be at least ten years of age to get a hunting license and twelve years of age if it involves hunting deer with a firearm. HB 4371 would eliminate those restrictions and allow a child to experience hunting at an earlier age with a mentor.
 
Since the Families Afield efforts were set forth in 2005 on a nationwide campaign, there have been approximately 600,000 hunters safely added to the field.  In fact, studies have shown that mentored hunters are one of the safest groups in the field.  Michigan ranks last in the nation when it comes to the recruitment and retention of hunters and HB 4371 could improve Michigan’s last-in-the-nation hunter recruitment and retention rate.  HB 4371 is modeled after a similar Pennsylvania law that has succeeded in getting many youth involved in hunting with a mentor while learning proper safety and ethics at a young age – a try-before-you-buy approach.
 
Please contact your state Senator and urge him or her to support HB 4371. Contact information for your state Senator can be found here.

By Glen Wunderlich

The gravy train is running off the tracks and you’ll be able hear the moaning of animal rightists and environmental extremists from Washington to Whackoville, as a substantial source of their income becomes extinct.  Legislation being introduced in Congress is to effectively eliminate taxpayer-funded abuse of a system meant to help wildlife conservation.  The legislation, a House Resolution and companion version in the Senate titled Government Litigation Savings Act, is to amend the existing Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). 

First a refresher course is in order.  Congress designed the EAJA as a vehicle for individuals, small businesses or public interest organizations to have a voice against unreasonable government actions threatening their rights, privileges, or interests.  To sweeten the rewards for successful campaigns against government entities, such as the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, these “cash-poor” organizations – that is, those for-profit corporations worth less than $7 million – are able to recoup legal fees, if they fight and win. 

However, non-profit groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) – although they generate more than $100 million annually – are exempt because of their non-profit standing, and therefore, are able to pocket huge sums of taxpayers’ cash at the rate of $150 to $350 per hour for attorney fees charged to us taxpayers.  Their strategy is simple:  Overwhelm the system with hundreds of lawsuits, wait for the government to lose cases on technicalities, such as missing deadlines, and pick the pockets of taxpayers.

You want transparency?  Forget it!  Read more