Secretary Zinke Announces the Creation of the International Wildlife Conservatio

[Bushcraft]

Bravo Zinke!

Secretary Zinke Announces the Creation of the International Wildlife Conservation Council

“WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the creation of the International Wildlife Conservation Council. The Council will provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior. It will focus on increased public awareness domestically regarding conservation, wildlife law enforcement, and economic benefits that result from U.S. citizens traveling abroad to hunt.

“Built on the backs of hunters and anglers, the American conservation model proves to be the example for all nations to follow for wildlife and habitat conservation,” Secretary Zinke said. “The conservation and long-term health of big game crosses international boundaries. This council will provide important insight into the ways that American sportsmen and women benefit international conservation from boosting economies and creating hundreds of jobs to enhancing wildlife conservation.”

The Council will advise the Secretary of the Interior on the benefits...”


https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-announces-creation-international-wildlife-conservation-council

[Tinmaniac]

Who cares?My elk herds are being destroyed by hoof rot.Wolves are out of control.Cats are everywhere.The Westside of the state is under lock and key.Fishing regulations and closures are out of control.Everything I love to do is being taken away and I am supposed to care about a rich mans ability to hunt abroad?

[3dvapor]

Until wa. Sportsman put there money together to get the right individuals elected nothing will change.  Personally I think wa. Will look alot like California in the not to distAnt future.

[Bushcraft]

Who cares?My elk herds are being destroyed by hoof rot.Wolves are out of control.Cats are everywhere.The Westside of the state is under lock and key.Fishing regulations and closures are out of control.Everything I love to do is being taken away and I am supposed to care about a rich mans ability to hunt abroad?

Yes. Yes you should. You should care about everyone’s ability to hunt, regardless of the size of a their bank accounts. And so, aside from the last part of what you said, I completely and totally empathize with everything you’ve said. We need better management across the board...and that starts at the top.

For too long we’ve had people at the top and upper echelons of the Department of Interior that didn’t give a rip about hunters and hunting.  Now we’ve got one and I appreciate his efforts to amend the attitudes toward hunting in the Department and farther down the food chain...to include WDFW.

[fish vacuum]

Who cares?My elk herds are being destroyed by hoof rot.Wolves are out of control.Cats are everywhere.The Westside of the state is under lock and key.Fishing regulations and closures are out of control.Everything I love to do is being taken away and I am supposed to care about a rich mans ability to hunt abroad?

True. I'm just thinking out loud here. It's probably not a bad thing if a rich guy, like for instance, the president's son, likes to hunt.

[Stein]

WA's problems are ours to fix, it isn't a federal problem.  What he is going after is public perception which is a vital component (arguably THE vital component) of our future hunting privileges.

I'm not sure it would have been on the top of my list, but I'm not the one with the job.

[Bushcraft]

WA's problems are ours to fix, it isn't a federal problem.  What he is going after is public perception which is a vital component (arguably THE vital component) of our future hunting privileges.

I'm not sure it would have been on the top of my list, but I'm not the one with the job.

If memory serves there's a lot of federal ground here in WA. And, we've spent quite a lot of time, energy and money on so-called federally endangered species.  That allowable portion of the PR piggy bank has been raided early and often.  So, no...it's necessarily all ours to fix at the state level.

Out of curiosity, what would have been at the top of your list?

 

[Stein]

Keeping public land public and messaging around why that is in the best interest of the country.

[wapiti hunter2]

I thought Trump was getting rid of Government waste.

[Bushcraft]

Keeping public land public and messaging around why that is in the best interest of the country.

Fine. Good.

But wait...are you insinuating that Zinke has been a proponent of turning public land into something other than...public land?

[Stein]

Keeping public land public and messaging around why that is in the best interest of the country.

Fine. Good.

But wait...are you insinuating that Zinke has been a proponent of turning public land into something other than...public land?

Sounds like you are the one insinuating things.  I said my top priority if I had that job would be a clear statement that public lands would remain public and why that is of crucial importance to the country.

[Tinmaniac]

This counsel has nothing to do with domestic hunting.Read the story.More trickle down garbage and the sky is falling rhetoric.Like I said before,who cares how much money rich american hunters put in other countries pockets?

[Tbar]

This counsel has nothing to do with domestic hunting.Read the story.More trickle down garbage and the sky is falling rhetoric.Like I said before,who cares how much money rich american hunters put in other countries pockets?

Please tell is the benefit of hunting abroad.  Most African hunts (and majority of abroad "hunting") is on high fenced operations where you are buying the animal.

[Stein]

This counsel has nothing to do with domestic hunting.Read the story.More trickle down garbage and the sky is falling rhetoric.Like I said before,who cares how much money rich american hunters put in other countries pockets?

The nonhunting public are not likely to draw a distinction between hunting in different countries or different species of deer or game.  Anti-hunters use "trophy hunting" as a tool to turn public support against hunting and African hunting is the tip of the "trophy hunting" spear.  There is a complex story about African high-dollar hunts and the conservation of the animals as a result that should be told.  That story parallels our North American model in that hunters provide the lion's share (nice pun?) of the money and effort to protect the very animals we hunt.

It is an important story to tell for maintaining and even expanding hunting privileges in the US.  The argument could be made that they should focus on the US side of the story, but I think that is splitting hairs if the goal is to protect our hunting heritage.

It's not a story of what rich dudes do, it's a story of how hunting is conservation, to borrow a line from RMEF.

[huntrights]

 

The world is becoming a smaller place, figuratively speaking.

This article might shed some light on why we should pay some attention to International Wildlife Conservation and the benefits of hunting in places like South Africa and Namibia.

Kenya’s Wildlife Debacle: The True Cost of Banning Hunting (http://www.rexano.org/ConservationPages/Kenya_Frame.htm)

We do have many issues regarding hunting in Washington that need to be resolved. Hopefully all those that gripe about the issues facing us in Washington are actively involved with working toward solutions. That is, get involved in the political process and join organizations that actively work to protect our rights to hunt hunt, fish, and trap. Get involved and be part of the solution.

Yes, hunting is conservation.