Manipulating the Endangered Species Act

SAF Again Points Out Unsupported Arguments by Animal ExtremistsYesterdayMay 21, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, along with Safari Club International and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, completed briefing in a trio of lawsuits brought by animal extremist groups to relist wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain region under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We’ve doubled down on our ask to the court to issue a judgment in our favor due to the animal extremists’ lack of standing and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proper denial of the extremists’ attempts to relist gray wolves in the Northern Rockies.

The Sportsmen’s Alliance and our conservation partners filed our final reply brief with the District Court in Montana, marking the end of briefing a year after successfully intervening in the lawsuits to defend the denials by FWS. We will present our arguments next month to the District Judge in Missoula, Montana. Based on the thorough defenses by the Sportsmen’s Alliance, conservation partners, state agencies and FWS, we’re confident the judge will agree that FWS very clearly considered the best available science to support the denials. Read more

Grizzly Relocated by Game and Fish

After consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured and relocated an adult male grizzly bear on May 16.

The grizzly bear was captured for cattle depredation on private land. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the grizzly bear was relocated to the Glade Creek drainage approximately 2.5 miles south of Yellowstone National Park. Read more

Grizzly Bear Mistakenly Shot and Killed by a Hunter in Bonner County in North Idaho

A young female grizzly bear was recently mistaken for a black bear by a hunter in the Panhandle Region

On the evening of May 9, a hunter shot and killed a young female grizzly bear he mistook for a black bear. The bear was killed in the Priest Lake drainage of Idaho’s Panhandle. After identifying the bear at the scene as a grizzly, the hunter immediately self-reported via the Citizen’s Against Poaching hotline and is fully cooperating with Idaho Fish and Game on the ongoing investigation.

The incident serves as an important reminder that grizzly bears can be found in portions of the Panhandle and Upper Snake Regions and occasionally in other regions in Idaho. Grizzly bears are protected Read more

Embrace Outdoor Learning This Summer with Our Professional Development Workshops

Did you know that the DNR’s Academy of Natural Resources gives educators from across the state the opportunity to learn about conservation trends from wildlife biologists, foresters, conservation officers and fisheries staff? It’s true – and you can be a part of it all this summer.

Our expert-led sessions are designed to empower educators with practical knowledge on a range of vital topics, including effective strategies for incorporating outdoor education into the classroom and tackling subjects like climate change. This year also includes a special session just for pre-kindergarten through third grade teachers, who can become certified in the early elementary programs for the award-winning Project WILD, Project WET and Project Learning Tree curriculum.

If you are interested, join us July 13-18 for the Academy of Natural Resources Classic at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center, located?near Roscommon, or Aug. 3-8 for ANR North in the Upper Peninsula. Read more

WSF: Screwworms, Time to Act

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) and many others in the hunting, conservation and ranching communities are concerned about a recent outbreak of New World screwworm in Mexico that is quickly moving north towards the U.S. This parasite is devastating to livestock and native wildlife and WSF strongly supports legislation being proposed to prevent and mitigate this infestation.

The New World Screwworm (NWS) is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on livestock, wildlife, and in rare cases, humans, and populations are moving toward the United States at an alarming rate. They can cause serious damage to their host, including death. Read more

Sportsmen’s Alliance Petitions Washington Gov. Ferguson for Removal of Four Fish and Wildlife Commissioners

Petition cites evidence of corruption, secret meetings and exclusion of tribes and other groups from public meetings

TodayMay 16, 2025, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (SAF) filed a petition with Gov. Ferguson asking for the removal of Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissioners Barbara Baker, Lorna Smith, Melanie Rowland, and John Lehmkuhl after evidence of corruption and bad practices was uncovered by the organization in its lawsuit to force disclosure of internal communications.

“We thought the evidence of corruption might be bad, but the mountain of evidence we’ve uncovered is like nothing we’ve seen before,” said Evan Heusinkveld, President & CEO of the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “This is bad government on steroids. Secret meetings, exclusion of tribes and others from public meetings, an obvious and open contempt for the public, and a total disregard of the law – it’s all there, and it’s obvious that this is simply the way these four commissioners do business. We are hopeful the governor stands up for the good people of Washington and shuts this down.”

Governor Ferguson has the full authority to remove Fish and Wildlife Commissioners for cause, and the SAF petition is replete with examples of behaviors that call for the governor to exercise this authority and put an end to these ongoing abuses. The petition also references a multitude of other documents the organization has that illustrate additional examples of how deep this corruption goes with these commissioners. Read more

Boone and Crockett Club Response to Sale of Public Lands in Reconciliation Bill

The House Committee on Natural Resources’ budget reconciliation bill would sell public land and send the proceeds to the Treasury. The Boone and Crockett Club objects to this – as we have said we would do. In budget reconciliation, the Treasury is the only allowable destination for revenue. Under existing law or regular congressional direction, revenue from land transactions goes into a fund for the betterment of public lands. This is how it should continue to be.

As the oldest conservation group in the country, founded by Theodore Roosevelt, we see from the perspective of our long view of American conservation another important point: The existing laws for selling and exchanging appropriate parcels of federal land should be available to be exercised expeditiously. They are not. Read more

Arkansas Battles Feral Hog Invasion: A Timeline of Eradication Efforts

Feral hogs have been a growing menace in Arkansas for decades, wreaking havoc on crops, livestock and the environment. A concerted effort, over a decade in the making, is showing signs of progress.

Feral hogs, descendants of animals brought by early explorers and later supplemented by Eurasian wild boars for sport hunting, have been present in North America since the 1500s. By 1999, some people recognized the growing problem, but scattered populations, complex issues and a lack of coordinated effort stalled significant action.

These invasive pests, estimated at over 6 million nationwide, cause $30 million to $41 million in damages annually in Arkansas alone. They are not just agricultural nuisances, but vectors for human and animal disease and destroyers of native habitats. Read more

Game Warden K9 Koda and Game Warden Jake Voter Locate Missing 2-Year-Old

Maine Warden Service K9 Koda and Game Warden Jake Voter located a missing two-year-old girl in Jay early Tuesday afternoon.

The child and her mother were together outside their home on Tripp Lane in Jay this morning. At one point while doing chores outside, the mother noticed that the toddler was missing.

After a quick search of the immediate area by family members failed to locate the child, the mother called 911 at 11:00 this morning. Due to the child’s age, multiple agencies immediately responded, including Franklin Sheriff’s Office, Jay Police Department, Jay Fire Department, Northstar EMS and 14 Maine Game Wardens including 2 Warden K9’s.

A search of the buildings and woods quickly commenced. At approximately 1:15 p.m., Game Warden Voter and K9 Koda located the child in thick brush about 300 yards northwest of the back of the house. The child was healthy and alert and had only minor scrapes received from walking through the woods. The child was quickly examined and released by emergency medical personnel and reunited with her family. ?

“Warden Voter and K9 Koda did an excellent job locating this young toddler in the thick woods where she was hidden by the brush,” said Maine Game Warden Sergeant Scott Thrasher, “Given the child’s age, it was important to get multiple searchers here quickly and get them searching. It was great teamwork by multiple agencies that made for a very happy ending for the toddler and her family.”

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