Launch Events Begin Next Week for Citizen Initiative to Protect Hunting Rights

From MUCC…
The coalition supporting the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act will be holding launch events over the next few weeks. In addition to events in the Upper Peninsula and Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw Counties, additional launch events will be added across the state where people can learn about the citizen initiative and take home petitions to circulate. MUCC is part of the coalition, called Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management, that is supporting the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act. Read more

How The Humane Society of the United States Spends Its Money

HSUS spent $50 million on fundraising-related expenses—41% of its budget. In other words, HSUS is a “factory fundraiser,” and the people really making the money are the fundraising contractors.

  • HSUS put $2.9 million into its pension plan—significantly more than it made in grants to support pet sheltering.
  • HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle pulled in $395,000 in total compensation.
  • HSUS paid $7.4 million to Quadriga Art, a fundraising firm that two states investigated last year after it was exposed by CNN in connection with charity scams. Quadriga was HSUS’s second-largest independent contractor in 2012 and HSUS has paid $30 million to Quadriga over the past several years.
  • In total, 38 people received over $100,000 in compensation from HSUS—up from 24 the previous year. For as much as HSUS complains about Big Ag, this “non-profit” corporation is clearly Big Animal Rights.
  • HSUS just had a ritzy gala in New York City last month. According to the tax return, HSUS lost money on these glitzy events in 2012. Between the NYC gala and the Hollywood “Genesis Awards” last year, HSUS had a net loss of $350,000.
  • HSUS claims it helped pass or defeat 132 laws in 2012. We’ve never heard of a nonprofit—which is not supposed to engage in much lobbying—that has such a high count when it comes to influencing laws.
  • HSUS’s membership magazine only goes to 545,000 people—up only 15,000 from last year. HSUS claims to represent a “constituency” of 11 million people (whatever that means), but the magazine circulation provides a good idea of HSUS’s actual membership—about 22 times smaller than HSUS’s claimed “constituency.”
  • HSUS’s contributions ticked up a little after a drop last year, but they’re still below where they were in 2010 (when we started this website).
  • HSUS admits that “a large portion of The HSUS’s work on direct care and service is accomplished through affiliated entities such as the Fund for Animals.” The Fund for Animals has its own separate fundraising. Shouldn’t HSUS make this fact clear in its own fundraising? Why is HSUS taking the credit for this animal care?

MI DNR awards $695,500 in Land and Water Conservation Fund grants

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Thursday announced that 10 community parks and recreation facilities across the state will share $695,500 in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants. The federal LWCF program, administered in Michigan by the DNR, supports cities, counties and townships in their efforts to provide better public outdoor recreation opportunities for their residents. Read more

Petition Drive Launched to Protect Hunting, Fishing Rights

MUCC Michigan United Conservation Clubs is proud to announce the launch of a petition drive to protect our outdoor heritage from out-of-state anti-hunters. MUCC is part of a coalition of conservation organizations called the Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management that is working to pass a citizen-initiated law to ensure that Michigan’s fish and wildlife are managed with sound science. And we need over 300,000 signatures to do it.  Read more

New DNR video provides tips for identifying juvenile Asian carp

DNR employee explains how to identify juvenile asian carpThe Department of Natural Resources recently developed a video to assist anglers and the public in identifying juvenile Asian carp. The video was produced in collaboration with Michigan Out of Doors Television. The DNR is doing many things to prevent adult Asian carp (bighead and silver) from entering the Great Lakes, but many people don’t realize that juvenile Asian carp pose a threat to the state’s waters as well. Read more

More to Love and Learn About Birds: 10 Holiday Gift Ideas

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has gift suggestions for the hard-core or potential birder on your list. Proceeds from their products, FYI, benefit the lab. ——–

Ithaca, NY-From new birdsong collections to smartphone apps, online learning, and a kit for beginning birders, here are 10 holiday gift suggestions for the bird and nature lover in your life. All these items are available from the nonprofit Cornell Lab of Ornithology at www.birds.cornell.edu/BirdGifts. Your purchases “pay it forward” by supporting the Cornell Lab’s bird conservation efforts. Read more

DNR conservation officers seek information on Manistee County bear poaching

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are seeking information regarding a bear poaching incident that occurred in the evening of Nov. 16 in northeast Manistee County.
A trail camera photo provided to the DNR by witnesses shows a bear sow and three cubs seen in the vicinity of the Manistee County poaching incident.
Conservation officers were called to investigate the shooting of a female black bear, found dead of a shotgun wound near a hunting blind on public land in Cleon Township. Witnesses said that the bear had been killed on Nov. 16 at approximately 5:30 p.m. Three bear cubs are believed to have been orphaned as a result of the bear being killed, although the cubs were not located.

Conservation officers are seeking to interview a white male who was spotted at the scene on Nov. 16. The male is believed to be involved in the killing and is described as having a thin build, standing approximately 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall. The male had facial hair and left the scene driving a dark-colored pickup truck. The DNR Law Enforcement Division is requesting any information to aid in the investigation of this poaching incident. Read more

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