ThinkingAfield.org

Geneseo, IL – – In February 2010, ArmaLite announced the return of its popular Hog Gun, the AR-10(T) Carbine. Within 10 days every one of them was gone. Now, nine months later, IT’S BACK, it’s in stock, and you can have one for this year’s hunting season.

But if you want one, don’t wait. This finely crafted weapon has been produced once again in a small batch. Quantities are limited and will not last long.

“This AR-10(T) Carbine combines the light weight and compact size of the carbine with the accuracy of the Target Model to give you a rifle that outperforms all other carbines. You will be ready on your next hunt with the easy carry and weather resistant stainless steel barrel chambered in 7.62 NATO.” says Tacticle-Life.com.

Specs:

Model: AR-10(T) Carbine with Free Float Handguard in Black
Caliber: .308/7.62mm NATO
Barrel: 16″ Stainless Steel Barrel
Rifling Twist: RH 1:11.25″
Muzzle Device: Flash Suppressor
Front Sight Base: Gas Block with Picatinny Rail
Upper Receiver: Forged Flat Top Receiver with Picatinny Rail and Forward
Assist

• Trigger: Two Stage National Match
• Overall Length: 37.5″
• Weight: 8.6 lbs
• Accuracy: 1 MOA

Included with Rifle: One 10 Round Magazine, One 20 Round Magazine, Black Case,
Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Your Price: $1,892.00 EA

About:

ArmaLite has one of the broadest product lines in the firearms industry. We manufacture and sell semiautomatic rifles in a variety of calibers including 5.56mm and 7.62mm, long range super-accurate bolt action rifles in calibers including .308 Winchester, 300 Winchester Magnum, 338 Lapua, and 50 BMG, and classic 9mm pistols. Visit: www.armalite.com.

NEWTOWN, Conn.-In response to a lawsuit filed today challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s denial of a petition to ban traditional ammunition containing lead core components, the National Shooting Sports Foundation will file a motion to intervene. This action allows NSSF to protect industry’s interests in the case and ensure that the will of Congress is adhered to.

The suit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, which earlier this year had petitioned EPA to ban traditional ammunition as well as fishing tackle containing lead. CBD claims wild birds are being harmed through the ingestion of spent ammunition fragments, though NSSF contends that no scientific evidence shows that wildlife populations are being affected.

In August after considering the CBD’s petition, EPA denied the request, saying it did not have the legal authority to regulate the production and distribution of traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. Congress expressly exempted ammunition from being regulated by this law. Some weeks after the agency’s decision on traditional ammunition, EPA also denied the other half of CBD’s request to ban fishing tackle. This one-two punch no doubt prompted CBD to file its lawsuit.

“We knew that this fight was far from over even after we gained that early victory,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “The CBD petition and now this lawsuit are clearly attacks on the right of hunters to choose the ammunition that best suits their hunting and target shooting needs, and they are attacks on hunting as well.”

Launching a strong grassroots campaign in response to the CBD petition, NSSF mobilized the sporting and gun-owning community to make its support for traditional ammunition clear to the EPA and its administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, via e-mailed comments and by contacting their lawmakers.

NSSF continues to stress the following in the debate over traditional ammunition:

* There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.

* Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 50 state wildlife agencies.

* A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on blood lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk.

* A ban on traditional ammunition would have a negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding. The bald eagle’s recovery, considered to be a great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition – the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

* Recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service show that from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Contact:
Bill Brassard Jr. (203) 426-1320 or bbrassard@nssf.org

GW: More nose-thumbing of basic freedoms by gun grabbers, much as it was in Michigan before “Shall Issue” was adopted. Go get ’em boys!

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against several New Jersey officials for deprivation of civil rights under color of law.

SAF is joined in the lawsuit by the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. and six private citizens whose applications for permits to carry have been denied generally on the grounds that they have not shown a “justifiable need.” One of the plaintiffs is a kidnap victim, another is a part-time sheriff’s deputy, a third carries large amounts of cash in his private business and another is a civilian employee of the FBI in New Jersey who is fearful of attack from a radical Islamic fundamentalist group. Plaintiffs are represented by attorneys David D. Jensen and Robert P. Firriolo with the firm of Duane Morris, LLP in Newark.

Named as defendants in the case are three Superior Court judges, Philip J. Maenza, Morris County; Rudolph A. Filko, Passaic County and Edward A. Jerejian of Bergen County, plus Col. Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the State Police, Hammonton Police Chief Frank Ingemi and New Jersey Attorney General Paula T. Dow.

“Law-abiding New Jersey citizens have been arbitrarily deprived of their ability to defend themselves and their families for years under the state’s horribly-crafted laws,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The law grants uncontrolled discretion to police chiefs and other public officials to deny license applications even in cases where the applicant has shown a clear and present danger exists.

“If being a kidnap victim, or part-time law enforcement officer, or the potential target of a known radical group does not clearly demonstrate a justifiable need,” he continued, “the defendants need to explain what would. Do citizens need guns to their heads or knives to their throats before the state considers their need to be justified?

“Supreme Court rulings have made it clear that the Second Amendment prohibits states from completely banning the carrying of handguns for self-defense,” Gottlieb said. “Nor may states deny citizens the right to carry handguns in non-sensitive places or deprive them of the right to carry in an arbitrary and capricious manner. That’s what is happening today in New Jersey, and we intend to stop it.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Note: The photo in this site’s window is that of the 9-point buck taken with the custom Contender in .45-70 caliber with the handloaded 300-grain Barnes bullet.

One of the guiding precepts to the Quality Deer Management philosophy is to promote the overall health of the deer herd. Many facets are involved including habitat management and harvesting a proper number of does and refraining from taking immature bucks – namely 1 1/2-year olds, otherwise known as yearlings – in an effort to balance the buck to doe ratio to a more natural state of existence. In practice, it can be a trying experience.

In spite of the record-breaking drought of August, our brassica food plots came through in fine form, although many of the plants are smaller than normal. Our closest stand to the nutritious food source is over 100 yards away making accuracy critical. My choice this season was a custom J.D. Jones-barreled handgun from SSK Industries in Ohio. The 14-inch ported Thompson-Center Contender barrel sports Bushnell HoloSight optics and rockets my handloaded 300-grain Barnes tipped bullets beyond the speed of Superman – or, at least any typical handgun caliber. It may not be what the legislators had in mind when they legalized single-shot pistols with straight-wall cartridges, but I couldn’t imagine a better tool for the task at hand. Years of practice had me ready for the challenge of handgun hunting for whitetails with my handcannon.

My morning stand was a quarter mile from our food plots and overlooked a swamp where deer tend to hide when pushed. For the first two days, my hunting partner, Joe Reynolds, and I had seen plenty of deer within range – all does, fawns, and yearling bucks of 6-point antlers or less. Although our antlerless tags could have been filled numerous times, each of us was patiently waiting for an opportunity at an adult buck.

On the third morning, I mentioned to Joe, that if he was afforded a good opportunity at a mature doe, that he should take it, because it was his last day of his deer-hunting vacation. In addition, we had Cocoa the wonder-tracking dog waiting to aid in recovery, if needed. At 7:30 am I heard thunder erupt from what I thought was the neighbor’s woodlot. Wrong! Over the 2-way radio came notice from Joe that he had dropped a doe in its tracks a quarter mile away with his Mossberg model 500 and a 12-gauge, 546-grain Lightfield slug. Cocoa would not be needed one little bit.

Since we already had field dressing on the agenda, and the myriad chores that accompany the chore, I figured to be on the lookout for a doe of my own, or of course, something even better. When I spotted movement to the west, I settled the Contender on the rest in anticipation of a shot, waiting to see what would develop. A bone-white antlered buck entered the swamp before me and I noticed that it was limping. Whatever the headgear, or lack thereof, didn’t really matter anymore, because our policy dictates that any injured animal be taken out; it’s about fairness to the animal and nothing else.

This buck just happened to qualify on several levels, however, because of his injured status and our self-imposed requirement to have at least 4 antler points on a side. When the 3 ½ year-old buck was skinned, we found that it had been shot in the leg; a copper jacket remnant from a .50-caliber projectile was all that remained of a previous hunter’s mistake. My Barnes bullet, on the other hand, retained 275 grains of its original 300 grain configuration, losing only 2-peeled back petals of copper.

The remainder of the season will be spent as field managers determined to continue on our mission of balancing the herd.

MISSOULA, Mont.-Congratulations! You finally killed that trophy specimen that eluded you for many seasons and countless hunts. You made celebratory stops at your buddy’s house and then the local meat processor. The taxidermist is next. But, unlike your previous hunts, this time there’s another consideration-entering your trophy into the Boone and Crockett Club’s records book.

The Boone and Crockett Club records program is the only North American harvest data system that collects information on all species of free-ranging native North American big game taken in fair chase.

Getting listed in the world’s most distinguished hunting-records book involves official measuring, paperwork and a $40 processing fee, all detailed at www.boone-crockett.org, but the rewards are considerable for you personally as well as for hunting overall and the future of conservation.

Here are five reasons to enter your trophy in Boone and Crockett records:

1. Archiving Conservation History
Under the leadership of Boone and Crockett Club founder Theodore Roosevelt, the Club’s system of scoring big-game trophies originated in 1906 (official records date back to 1830) as a means of recording details on species thought to be disappearing due to rampant habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Science-based conservation efforts, led and funded by license-buying hunters, brought those species from vanishing to flourishing. Today, a Boone and Crockett trophy is a classic gauge of modern conservation success-and an important reminder of the ongoing need for habitat and wildlife stewardship.

2. Improving Future Management
Because they represent fully mature specimens, Boone and Crockett records are an important indicator of the age structure and breeding fitness of a herd, as well as an indicator of habitat quality. For biologists and professional wildlife managers, the presence and production of trophy animals suggests optimum overall herd health; their absence may suggest that refined management strategies are warranted. Records build a timeline of both positive and negative trends in conservation practices and are used to chart future actions.

3. Honoring the Animal
Outstanding trophies produced naturally deserve to be recorded and respected in the most prestigious annals of big game hunting. Any true hunter’s sense of pride and satisfaction will be even more fulfilling and longer lasting if his or her quarry and the place where it lived are appropriately recognized, too.

4. Discrediting Hunting’s Critics
Those who oppose hunting often claim that hunting reverses natural selection, because unlike wild predators, human hunters often seek out the largest specimens. This, according to erroneous rhetoric, will artificially stunt game populations. However, the facts speak differently. Boone and Crockett Club trophy entries have increased 400 percent over the past 30 years, which means trophy-class animals actually are more plentiful now than ever before. This single statistic is an ongoing tribute to the professionals who manage wildlife and the hunters who participate in that management. Even more important, by being the only published reference of trophies taken in fair chase, such data counters other rhetoric being spun by anti-hunters to an uninformed public that sportsmen have become just a lawless bunch of wildlife killers.

5. Establishing Official Bragging Rights
Less than one percent of all sportsmen will take a Boone and Crockett-qualifying trophy in their lifetime. An accepted entry absolutely signifies the highest accomplishment in big game hunting-the legal, ethical, fair-chase harvest of a free ranging specimen that stands as an ultimate representation of its species. World-class trophy mounts are celebrated and passed down from one generation to the next. However, always remember that, over time, the more enduring story will be less about how you harvested your trophy, and more about how that remarkable animal got there in the first place-through the efforts of sportsmen!

About the Boone and Crockett Club
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and associated wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair-chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include enlarging and protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For details, visit www.boone-crockett.org

Contact: Steve Wagner, Blue Heron Communications, 800‑654‑3766 or steve@blueheroncomm.com

Lansing, Mich. – November 17, 2010 – Pheasants Forever, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) and other partners have developed a new Pheasant Recovery Initiative aimed at restoring Michigan’s pheasant hunting heritage.

Three 3-county areas are initially targeted by the initiative for pheasant habitat improvement, including Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties; Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties; and Gratiot, Saginaw and Clinton counties. Geographic Information Survey (GIS) was used to identify priority areas in the state based on the potential to positively impact pheasant numbers. Factors in developing priority areas include: an open agricultural landscape, less forest and abundance of lands enrolled in federal Farm Bill conservation programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP). The plan calls for identifying 10,000-acre areas where landowners are interested in resurrecting pheasant hunting. Once identified, the DNRE will study the habitat and work with partners and landowners on habitat restoration.

“There are more than 50,000 hunters who pursue pheasants annually in Michigan, and we can do better at meeting their demand for opportunity,” says Mike Parker, Pheasants Forever’s Regional Wildlife Biologist in the state, “It’s a given that when you have quality and quantity habitat, you have pheasants. Revitalizing habitat – nesting cover, escape cover and food and winter cover – is the key to revitalizing pheasant hunting in Michigan.” The goal of the plan is to double Michigan’s current pheasant harvest. The plan will also have a tremendous impact on hunter retention and recruitment in the state.

The key difference between past efforts and the new Pheasant Recovery Initiative, Parker says, is the broad landscape scale. “Previous efforts have been successful on smaller scales, improving 40 acres for a landowner here, and 40 acres for a landowner there,” Parker said, “But to maximize pheasant hunting, we need to broaden the focus.” Parker says the goal will be to restore pheasant habitat on 15 to 30 percent of the landscape within the Pheasant Recovery Areas, utilizing state land where possible. The long-range objective is to have 200 or so 10,000 acre Pheasant Recovery Areas in the state, or 2 million acres in the program.

Other partners developing the Pheasant Recovery Initiative in Michigan include Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

For participating Pheasant Recovery Area coalitions, the DNRE staff will provide assistance on habitat prescriptions, project partners will aid in securing seed for grass plantings and federal resources may be leveraged to provide financial incentives for participating landowners. Also, for land that meets habitat restoration objectives, the DNRE may provide seed and /or materials for plantings.

This winter, Pheasants Forever, DNRE staff and project partners will be hosting landowner workshops to discuss the Pheasant Recovery Initiative. To get involved in the program and for more details, landowners may also contact Al Stewart, DNRE Upland Game Specialist Email Al Stewart; or Mark Sargent, DNRE Private Lands Coordinator Email Mark Sargent.

Michigan is home to 36 Pheasants Forever chapters and more than 7,800 Pheasants Forever members. For more information about Pheasants Forever in the state, contact Mike Parker at (517) 896-4178 Email Mike Parker.

GW: A relief, indeed, that the professional outdoor media does not have to fear prosecution for publishing photographs or videos of hunting and fishing. As crazy as it seems, it was all on the line all the way to the Supreme Court last year.

Washington, DC – Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) successfully exempted video depicting hunting, trapping and fishing in the “Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010” as approved by the U.S. Senate in September and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last night .

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), in partnership with Safari Club International (SCI) and the National Rifle Association (NRA), earlier this year expressed concerns to the leadership of the CSC that the legislative language in the bill should explicitly exclude videos and television programs showing legal hunting, fishing and trapping activities.

“While we all oppose malicious cruelty to animals such as those seen in these videos, it was vitally important that this legislation specifically address the filming, distribution and sale of legally produced hunting, fishing and trapping video and television programming,” said CSC House Co-Chair, Rep. Paul Ryan.

On April 20 of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1999 federal law that prohibited the production and distribution of videos depicting the shocking form of animal cruelty known as “crush videos.” CSF joined Safari Club International in an amicus curiae brief in this case, raising concerns about the potential impact of the decision on hunting videos.

“This legislation, thanks to the work of the CSC, alleviates the concerns that the sportsman’s community had about a potential ban on legitimate hunting, fishing and trapping videos,” said CSF President Jeff Crane.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Ready or not, here we go. Another firearms deer season opener is upon us and hundreds of thousands of Michigan hunters are taking to the woods and fields with high anticipation. Up-North businesses will get a genuine stimulus boost from men and women, who once again, will take part in the great tradition of deer hunting. Local retailers will share in the revenue generated from the hunting fraternity, as well. This is where preparation meets opportunity, but sometimes dumb luck is all that’s needed.

When I began hunting whitetails some 40 years ago, I knew virtually nothing about deer behavior. The little bit of information I had garnered came from my new in-laws, who were deeply steeped in tradition stemming from tent camping in the Gladwin area since the 1940s.

Since I was committed to joining the action, I needed a firearm and heeded the advice of my father in-law. He said the trusty 30-30 was a good choice and I had no reason to doubt him. So, off I went to Sears to get my first deer rifle – a lever-action Winchester model 94. For no particular reason, other than I thought it was cool, I changed the factory iron sights to a flip-up Williams sight. Big mistake. I ran out of adjustment on the rear sight and it shot about 10 inches high at 100 yards. So, I learned to compensate by aiming low, instead of changing the sights to something that actually worked correctly.

None of this really mattered for years, because I never saw a buck. At the time, Gladwin County had the highest population of whitetails in the state, but then, as now, the buck to doe ratio was way out of proportion. We would see dozens of deer but never a buck. In fact, for the first few years, nobody in camp ever got a buck. But, that never stopped any of us from pitching tents and carrying on the tradition.

Several days had already passed in the season of 1973 and, after another fruitless morning, I headed back to camp for lunch with my brother in-law, Doug. While there, shots rang out and they were close! I hurried toward the road with Doug to see the hind end of a deer running across Deer Road – yep, Deer Road. When Doug said it was a buck, I grabbed my lever gun and left Doug in the dust.

I never thought to check for a blood trail and just crossed the point where the deer entered the woods, which was actually a low, wet, brushy area. I fought my way well into the heavy cover, hoping blind luck would work in my favor. I couldn’t see more than 30 feet in any direction until I found a spot about a mile from the road where there was a small clearing of about 40 yards in diameter. Visibility was still poor but when I located a brush pile, I climbed on top of it for a better view.

I sat there for a half hour or so, when another shot was fired nearby. I couldn’t believe that anyone else was stupid enough to be in the heavy cover, but somebody obviously was. As fate would have it, a buck appeared in the small opening I was watching and I fired a shot. The deer kept going, so I let another go. Same result. After the third shot, the deer vanished amid the recoil and cover.

Within a minute or so, I found out who had taken the other shot before mine. Another hunter had shot at and tracked the wounded deer across the road and he had teamed up with my other brother in-law, Tom, who had no idea I was out there.

We located the downed deer after a short search, and of course, I figured I killed it. The other hunter claimed he had killed it and it just died near me. We agreed on a coin toss to settle the matter and I got it right. Tom and I struggled for hours dragging that half-rack beast back to Deer Road, after my first untrained session of field dressing. The beast dressed out at 174 pounds, still one of the bigger-bodied deer I have taken over the years and the largest ever at the Deer Road family camp. (Later, the other hunter admitted he couldn’t have killed the deer, because the entry wound was on the opposite side from his shot; it was correct for mine, however).

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good and here’s wishing you deer hunters the best of luck.

GW: I own one of the Woodman’s Pals and have just orderd one of J. Wayne’s books, The Ultimate Deer Hunter’s Pocket Reference. Although backordered, I eagerly anticipate its arrival. Great Americans with great American products…

Pro Tool Industries, maker of the iconic Woodman’s Pal® and J. Wayne Fears Brand products, announced on Monday the rollout of their new website at www.protoolindustries.net. A total revamp of the previous site, the recent renovations include: a complete user interface restructuring, more intuitive navigation options, new product introductions, enhanced product descriptions and information, and the addition of new technologies for the social networking and blogging arenas.

“The new website has a completely different look and feel’, says Mark G. Scheifley, General Manager of Pro Tool Industries. “We wanted to reduce the clutter and give the customer a clear direction of how to get where they want to go”.

Included in the website restructuring are a series of informational tips and videos in the areas of deer hunting, outdoor cooking and survival, a retail store locator, and the option to download the current Pro Tool catalog.

In addition to the new look and feel of Pro Tool Industries, they have also expanded their offerings to include the J. Wayne Fears Ultimate Outdoor product line which includes, a deer hunter’s knife, an outdoor cook’s knife and a survival knife which will serve as a companion pieces to the deer hunting and management, outdoor cooking and survival reference guidebooks. As well as, the Pro Tool Utility collection of knives, saws and tools, coming closer to the goal of being a one stop shop for outdoorsmen looking for knives, tools and information.

Also on the new website are the Grutz Rust & Corrosion Inhibitor and Pop Pop Don’s All-Purpose Farm & Home Lubricating Oil. Both products are ideal for the care and maintenance of knives and tools.

All of the products manufactured by Pro Tool Industries are made in the USA using only the finest American-made materials.

The new Pro Tool Industries web site was developed by Boomtown Internet Group and Astraea Marketing Group. According to Mark G. Scheifley, “After an extensive review of multiple firms — many with outdoor sports marketing industry experience – Pro Tool Industries’ selection of Boomtown Internet Group and Astraea Marketing Group was simple. Boomtown’s ability to create websites that are appealing and optimally organized that attract search engines, combined with Astraea’s ability to create iconic branding, designs and communications are second to none.”

About Pro Tool Industries, Inc.
Pro Tool Industries is a family owned and operated business located in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, that develops and offers tools and knives. The company’s craftsmen exhibit a steadfast commitment to using only the very highest grade of American made raw materials in building durable, quality tools, knives, saws, and other products including The Woodman’s Pal® and new series of No-Nonsense Reference Guidebooks by author and master outdoorsman, J. Wayne Fears. The Woodman’s Pal® is a brush axe/machete that can perform the tasks of many tools including machetes, axes, hatchets, pruning saws, pruning shears, pruning knives, bow saws, loppers, Bowie knives and for certain jobs, even chain saws.

Pro Tool Industries’ manufacturing plant employs seasoned artisans who make its tools one by one with care. Cooperation between the men and women of all departments and the sincere adherence to the company’s shop motto “Do It Right” make each one of its tools an individual product reflecting a superior degree of hand workmanship, worthy to take its place as an American icon.

To learn more about Pro Tool Industries and the products it manufacturers, visit www.protoolindustries.net.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) released its Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly appraisal of the current status of plants and animals considered candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). One species has been removed from candidate status, five have been added, and four have a change in priority from the last review conducted in November of 2009. There are now 251 species recognized by the Service as candidates for ESA protection.

“The candidate list offers the Service and our partners a unique opportunity to address the threats to these species through voluntary conservation efforts on public and private lands,” said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould. “We will continue working to reduce the number of candidate species by developing conservation agreements that reduce or eliminate the threats they face, and by listing species that warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act as soon as possible.”

Candidate species are plants and animals for which the Service has enough information on their status and the threats they face to propose them as threatened or endangered, but developing a proposed listing rule is precluded by higher priority listing actions. Candidate species do not receive protection under the ESA, although the Service works to conserve them. The annual review and identification of candidate species provides landowners and resource managers notice of species in need of conservation, allowing them to address threats and work to preclude the need to list the species. The Service is currently working with landowners and partners to implement voluntary conservation agreements covering 5 million acres of habitat for more than 130 candidate species.

Today’s notice identifies five new candidate species: the Kentucky arrow darter (KY); Rosemont talussnail (AZ); Kenk’s amphipod (DC, MD); Packard’s milkvetch (ID); and the Vandenberg monkeyflower (CA). All candidates are assigned a listing priority number based on the magnitude and imminence of the threats they face. When adding species to the list of threatened or endangered species, the Service addresses species with the highest listing priority first. The four changes in priority announced in today’s notice are based on new information in the updated assessments of continuing candidates. These changes include one species that increased in priority and three that lowered in priority.

The one species removed from the candidate list is a mammal from California – the Palm Springs round-tailed ground squirrel. The Service removed this species after a review of new genetics and morphological information found that it is more widespread and as a result does not face threats to an extent that ESA protection is needed.

The Service is soliciting additional information on these candidate species, as well as information on other species that may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. This information will be valuable in preparing listing documents and future revisions or supplements to the candidate notice of review.

The Service has several tools for protecting candidate species and their habitats, including a grants program that funds conservation projects by private landowners, states and territories. In addition, the Service can enter into Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs), formal agreements between the Service and one or more public or private parties to address the conservation needs of proposed or candidate species, or species likely to become candidates, before they actually become listed as endangered or threatened. CCA participants voluntarily commit to implementing specific actions removing or reducing the threats to these species, thereby contributing to stabilizing or restoring the species. Through 110 CCAs, habitat for more than 100 species is managed on federal, state, local agency, tribal and private lands; many CAAs have multiple cooperators focusing conservation actions in an area supporting a single or multiple species. Another similar tool is the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAAs). While these voluntary agreements are only between the Service and non-Federal landowners, they have the same goals as CCAs in addressing threats to candidate species, but with additional incentives for conservation actions on non-Federal lands. More than 60 landowners in 15 states have enrolled over 1 million acres of habitat for 39 species.

The complete notice and list of proposed and candidate species appears in the Federal Register and can be found online at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/cnor.html.

Visit the Endangered Species Program’s multimedia gallery at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/about/multimedia.html to hear podcasts about featured species, including the newest candidate, the Kentucky arrow darter.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.