GW:  A perfect example of how delisting anything from protected status – no matter the facts – becomes problematic.  The usual suspects will fight any attempt to hunt anything.  Here’s proof…

By Glen Wunderlich

It’s almost time to toot our horn.  No it’s not New Year’s Eve, but when Governor Snyder signs HB 4993 into law, as is expected, Michigan sportsmen and women will have reason to celebrate.

The bill sponsored by Representative Jon Bumstead, would create a statewide council, called the Michigan Wildlife Council, which would be charged with hiring a marketing firm and directing funds for the creation and implementation of a targeted multi-media marketing campaign.

Here is how the plan would work:  Revenue for the information campaign will be derived from the hunting and fishing license package already signed into law.  Beginning in March 2014, a $1 surcharge on every hunting and fishing license purchased will be used to educate the general non-hunting and non-fishing public relative to the significance of wildlife conservation through hunting and fishing. Read more

DENVER, Colo.–At a meeting marking the conclusion of Boone and Crockett Club’s 125th anniversary year, held at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver on Dec. 7, attendees revisited the Club’s first order of business at its inception–saving Yellowstone Park for all Americans. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

A controversial black rhino hunt is set to be auctioned by the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Namibia.  Fueled by typical emotion-driven rhetoric, the usual suspects, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), oppose the hunt on the grounds that the animals are endangered.  On the other side, conservationists and biological scientists support the auction as a means to brighten the future of the prized African game species.

First a few facts are in order.  The number one reason for the decline from around a million rhinos in the year 1800 to approximately 30,000 today is poaching.  Rhino horn is one of the mainstays of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and thus has been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of rhinos.  The question is not whether rhino horn actually has medicinal value; enough Asians believe it does, and therefore, its value is literally double that of gold.

Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) was established in 1990 and is responsible for the safeguarding Namibia’s environmental resources.  Since 2004, with the support of scientists in the international Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, Namibia is authorized to sell up to five hunting permits a year. With selective hunting as a part of its comprehensive rhino conservation strategy, the country’s black rhino population has more than doubled since 1990.

DSC expects the permit to sell for at least $250,000, perhaps up to $1 million. All proceeds will be returned to Namibia for underfunded rhino-related projects such as anti-poaching patrols.

Did you catch that?  All proceeds are to be returned to Namibia.

Contrast this with how HSUS uses its questionable tactics to line the pockets of its hierarchy.

HSUS CEO, Wayne Pacelle, raked in $395,000 in total compensation according to its latest tax return. In total, 38 people received over $100,000 in compensation from HSUS—up from 24 the previous year. HSUS put $2.9 million into its pension plan—significantly more than it made in paltry grants to support pet sheltering.

So, rather than paint the DSC with the same brush used on poachers, while lining its own pockets, wouldn’t it be philanthropic if HSUS leaders invested that money in anti-poaching efforts or in efforts to reduce the demand for rhino horns?  (That’s Wayne’s argument against the DSC, by the way, directly from his blog.) Read more