|
| |
Sportsmen Win Court Battle
to Protect Wildlife Management
U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation
Formerly the Wildlife Conservation Fund of America
801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229
Ph. 614/888-4868 * Fax 614/888-0326
Website: www.ussportsmen.org *
E-mail: info@ussportsmen.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Doug Jeanneret (614) 888-4868 x 212
March 12, 2002 Beth Ruth (614) 888-4868 x 214
Sportsmen Win Court Battle to Protect Wildlife Management
(Columbus) - A court ruling yesterday deals a major setback to an
insidious campaign that has worked for years to remove sportsmen as the
funding source for this nation's wildlife programs.
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation (formerly the Wildlife
Conservation Fund of America) had been fighting a lawsuit filed by the
Sierra Club against the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)
and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In his ruling,
Judge Richard Enslen ruled against the Sierra Club, clearing the way for
sportsman-supported wildlife conservation to continue.
In the suit, the Sierra Club made five specific complaints against the
MDNR and the USFWS. The complaints involved land management issues,
including forestry practices that benefit game species including
white-tailed deer, wild turkey and ruffed grouse, as well as various
non-game animals.
Other sportsmen's organizations working on the effort included the
National Wild Turkey Federation, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs
and the Ruffed Grouse Society.
"We had to get involved because we knew that a ruling in Michigan in
favor of the environmentalists would spell the end of programs that have
produced abundant wildlife for hunters and anglers across the
country," said Rick Story, U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation vice
president. "This victory protects hunting programs for all sportsmen
and will go far toward curbing the spread of these cases to other states.
"
The Sierra Club has filed several suits in recent years that challenged
the use of Pittman-Robertson (P-R) and Dingell-Johnson (D-J) dollars for
state wildlife programs that include hunting, fishing and trapping. The
P-R and D-J programs distribute funding to the states generated by an
excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition and fishing gear. The tax is
borne by hunters and anglers. |
|
Top Of
Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
