The Situation Room The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) Situation Room is an up-to-date watch and alert center. It provides a quick review of some key issues on which USSA is working.
National
Fighting to Protect Hunting and Fishing on Federal Land
The USSA helped draft legislation now pending in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate called the “Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act.”
The bill includes numerous provisions that will protect recreational hunting, fishing and shooting on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service.
Status- Legislation was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate in October and is pending. Click here for more information.
Delisting the Great Lakes Wolf from the Endangered Species List
The USSA, along with other national and state based groups, filed a formal petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to remove the Western Great Lakes wolves from the Endangered Species List.
Wolves throughout the Great Lakes region have surpassed the population goals set by the FWS and are no longer endangered or threatened. Despite this fact, previous attempts at delisting the wolves have been stopped by lawsuits filed by the anti’s.
Status- On May 18th, USSA filed a petition with the Department of the Interior to delist the Great Lakes wolf. Additionally, state agencies in Minnesota and Wisconsin have filed similar petitions. Click here for more information.
Urging Effective Predator Control in Wildlife Refuges
The USSAF has petitioned the FWS to begin effectively managing mountain lions within the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
Unchecked mountain lion populations are beginning to decimate the local Bighorn sheep population, which the FWS has a statutory responsibility to conserve.
Status- The FWS has announced that is has completed an environmental assessment and will implement a management plan aimed at dealing with the mountain lion population. Click here for more information.
In the States
Dog Legislation
2010 continues the nationwide trend where legislation claiming to be aimed at abusive commercial breeders, commonly referred to as “puppy mills,” threatens the existence of many sporting dog kennels and hobby breeders. Often, these bills lump private sporting dog kennels and breeders in with large scale commercial breeders. This subjects them to a level of regulation that would make it nearly impossible to continue operating.
In addition to “puppy mill” bills, dog legislation as a whole appears to be the anti’s latest tactic to threaten hunting. Legislation mandating the spaying/neutering of dogs and bills aimed at prohibiting tethering dogs or keeping dogs outdoors are also showing up regularly across the country.
Status- This year, the USSA is already monitoring more than 88 dog related bills, covering 28 states, and is working to defeat or fix bills that are a threat to sporting dog owners. Read about our work at Outdoor Life here.
Families Afield Legislation
Project in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and National Wild Turkey Federation to reduce and remove arbitrary barriers to youth participation in hunting. Last year, Nevada and Wisconsin passed Families Afield legislation.
Status- In 2010, Vermont became the 30th state since 2004 to have lowered barriers to hunting. Click here for the Vermont story. Bills lowering barriers in Illinois and Louisiana were recently signed into law. Minnesota, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania have bills pending.
License Fee Diversions
With many states facing unprecedented financial hardships legislators are looking for creative ways to balance their state budgets. Many times this means raiding the wildlife agency coffers and diverting sportsmen’s dollars to pay for unrelated items. This can cost state agencies millions in federal funding. In 2009, California, Ohio, and South Dakota all had license fee diversion proposals that were defeated.
Status- California is again proposing to divert $5 million dollars to help fill its large budget gap in 2010. Click here for the full story. Arizona has also proposed diverting funds that were typically earmarked for wildlife.
Montana Trapping Threatened by Anti-Trapping Group
An anti-trapping group in Montana sought a 2010 ballot initiative that would have banned trapping on all public land in the state.
Status- The anti-trapping group did not get enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot in 2010. However, it is likely that the group will continue its efforts to ban trapping in the state. The USSA worked with the Fur Takers of America, the National Trappers Association, and the Montana Trappers Association to defeat the issue. Click here for the story.
Legal
Anti-Trapping Lawsuit in Maine
Yet another lawsuit in Maine over Canada Lynx. The case mirrors a similar lawsuit settled last October which allowed trapping to continue in the state with minimal restrictions. This case is based upon the same premise that the state is “causing” the take of federally protect lynx by allowing trapping, but seeks additional restrictions on trapping. The bigger precedent is preventing the antis from using the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to block other kinds of hunting.
Status- In a major victory for Maine trappers and sportsmen across the nation, the Judge ruled in our favor that Maine’s trapping practices do not irreparably harm the Canada lynx. The win establishes an excellent precedent that will make it harder for the antis to use the ESA in their attempts to ban hunting and trapping through the Courts. The antis have appealed the decision. Click here for the full story.
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