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WILDLIFE AND HUNTING HERITAGE COUNCIL CREATED
Published: 2/12/2010



Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer announced recently the creation of the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council (WHHCC), an official advisory group that replaces the Sporting Conservation Council.

The announcement was made at a ceremony at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC, and Salazar noted Roosevelt’s passion for hunting.

“Theodore Roosevelt understood the vital role that hunting plays in American life, as well as the importance of protecting lands and wildlife to sustain that tradition,” said Salazar. “The early efforts of America’s hunters and anglers to preserve our nation’s wildlife heritage fueled the modern conservation movement and left us the natural bounty we are now entrusted with protecting. In the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt, we are enlisting the help of hunters and anglers to help us confront the conservation challenges of our time so that our children and grandchildren can have the same opportunities to experience wildlife and the great outdoors that have been passed along, generation to generation.”

“Today’s conservation challenges demand that we all step forward and embrace the important work necessary to maintain and conserve the wildlife habitat and water resources that are so important to America’s hunting and angling heritage,” said Vilsack. “The Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council represents an opportunity to expand our partnership with conservation organizations that will improve the health and management of America’s public and private lands.”

The new federal advisory Council will provide a forum for sports men and women to advise the federal government on policies related to wildlife and habitat conservation endeavors that (a) benefit recreational hunting; (b) benefit wildlife resources; and (c) encourage partnership among the public, the sporting conservation community, the shooting and hunting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, the states, Native American tribes, and the federal government.

Salazar noted that the revenue generated from hunting licenses, duck stamps and excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment provides billions of dollars to purchase and maintain habitat for wildlife across the nation. Revenues also provide the principal source of funding for state wildlife agency conservation work.

The new council replaces the previously existing Sporting Conservation Council, of which NRA was a member, and expands membership of the archery, hunting and shooting sports industries, as well as including broader representation from the nation’s major hunting organizations. The WHHCC’s charter also more clearly defines its responsibilities in supporting the public, the sporting conservation community, the shooting and hunting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, and the state and federal governments.

The five federal agencies playing a key role in supporting and maintaining America’s hunting heritage – the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Farm Service Agency – will appoint organizational members to the council to provide additional support, guidance and coordination.

As the lead federal agency responsible for wildlife and habitat management,the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide coordination and administrative support for the Council. Two notices were published in the Federal Register on Feb. 5 concerning the council: one announcing the termination of the Sporting Conservation Council (SCC) and the other announcing its replacement by the WHHCC and seeking nominations for the new council.