They are getting serious about this stuff...

[mike rossi]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Claire Cassel

(703) 358-2357

[email protected]

Danielle Kessler

(703) 358-2644

[email protected]

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Nominations

for Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing the establishment of an Advisory Council on

Wildlife Trafficking (Council) under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and seeking

nominations for Council members. On July 1, 2013, President Obama issued an Executive Order

(EO) to enhance coordination of U.S. Government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and

assist foreign governments with capacity building. The EO calls on the Secretary of the Interior,

in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, to establish an eightmember

Council with representation from the private sector, former government officials, nongovernmental

organizations, and other experts on wildlife trade.

The Council will serve as an advisory body to a Presidential Task Force consisting of seniorlevel

representatives from across the federal government. The Council will provide advice and

recommendations to the Task Force on a multi-pronged approach to wildlife trafficking,

including anti-poaching activities, law enforcement efforts and consumer demand reduction. The

Service will provide administrative and logistical support to the Council on behalf of the

Department of the Interior.

The call for nominations publishes today in the Federal Register and remains open until August

13, 2013. The Federal Register notice is available online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-

2013-07-29/pdf/2013-18194.pdf.

For the full text of the Executive Order on Combating Wildlife Trafficking, visit:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/01/executive-order-combating-wildlifetrafficking.

For more information on U.S. Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking, visit:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/01/fact-sheet-us-efforts-combat-wildlifetrafficking.

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. Connect with

our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usfws, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usfwshq, watch

our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at

www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq.

-FWS

[growalot]

Obama's smoke and mirrors ppl.....Keep one eye open and your hand on the hilt of something at all times.....

[Mr VJP]

The government is getting involved in wildlife crimes in America and Africa so it can publicize game atrocities to the voting public.  All part of a plan to encroach on hunting rights as much as possible and eliminate even more firearms owned by hunters, even though most poaching is done by people without hunting licenses. 

 

Pretty soon one little violation of a hunting law (like wearing blaze orange that isn't bright enough) and your right to hunt is taken away for life! 

 

So, you don't need those hunting guns anymore either, do you?

 

( I can already hear the laughter from the clueless, so don't bother saying I'm paranoid.  I"M INFORMED!)

[virgil]

Right, the only possible intent for this could be to take away your guns.  No chance that the government has any interest in preserving endangered species, protecting the economies of countries who depend on wildlife tourism, minimizing trafficking in illegal game, etc, etc.  Simply another ruse to get your guns.

[landtracdeerhunter]

We're talking left wing Socialism here. "Nothing can be trusted!"

[SteveB]

In sequester and spending money on this??!!

[d-bone20917]

How can I tell if my blaze orange is bright enough? 

[Mr VJP]

They use a meter to check on it's brightness in NJ.  Basically if it ain't new, it's faded and may not pass.

 

I didn't say they wouldn't use these laws for legitimate wildlife protection, I said they would abuse them to further their goals as much as they can get away with.  Never seen that happen before?  Think it won't happen again, and more often?

 

[mike rossi]

They use a meter to check on it's brightness in NJ.  Basically if it ain't new, it's faded and may not pass.

 

I didn't say they wouldn't use these laws for legitimate wildlife protection, I said they would abuse them to further their goals as much as they can get away with.  Never seen that happen before?  Think it won't happen again, and more often?

I think it is more likely to distract or appease environmentalists that are upset with Obama, Clinton, and Cuomo over hydro-fracking.

[Mr VJP]

Here's an example of how hunting is effected when the government gets involved:

 

Traditional Ammunition Ban Bill Is a Bad Idea for California

 

(Op-Ed regarding California's proposed ban on traditional ammunition from National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) senior vice president and general counsel, Larry Keane.)

California's Assembly Bill 711 provides the latest crucible in the seemingly endless debate over traditional ammunition. The bill would ban traditional ammunition containing lead components for use in all hunting statewide. Organizations like the Humane Society U.S. claim that this bill is an attempt to protect the wildlife population from ingesting fragments of lead that may be found in traditional ammunition. However there is no sound science to justify these claims of harm, so hunters and sportsmen across the state oppose this far-reaching legislation.

Most of the attention with this bill has gone to the California condor, a species that is slowly being repopulated into the wild in its historic range. Unfortunately, news reports of problems with the condor ignore the fact that the use of lead ammunition has already been banned in areas where the condor resides, yet the species still is having health problems.

At the same time, a traditional ammunition ban threatens to ban hunting in California simply because alternative ammunition is not widely available. One of the reasons for that scarcity resides in Washington. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has said that non-lead hunting rifle ammunition may fall under the definition of "armor piercing ammunition," (18 USC 921 (17)((ii)), which is illegal to import, make and sell unless the ATF determines it is exempt because it is "primarily intended to be used for a sporting purpose." For two years now, ATF has not been approving exemptions from the ban, and so if the bill is enacted, sportsmen could face empty shelves of ammunition when hunting season comes along. U.S. Sen. John McCain addressed this issue recently in a letter to the ATF.

Meanwhile, a ban on lead ammunition threatens far more than sportsmen. A soon to be released study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station and National Technology suggests that copper and steel bullets are far more likely to cause wildfires than lead.

Perhaps ironically, sales of traditional ammunition actually bolster wildlife conservation efforts. The federal excise tax dollars raised from the purchase by hunters of the very ammunition anti-hunting supporters of AB 711 demonize is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding in the United States.

In 2012, California was one of the top five state-level beneficiaries in the nation, receiving about $14.1 million from federal money marked for wildlife restoration. In the past, these monies have gone toward efforts in California to reestablish Tule elk habitat and protect more than 285,000 acres of wildlife.

Nationally, the bald eagle's recovery, a truly great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition. In fact, 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. The bald eagle is no longer listed as an endangered species and raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring. Raptor and other wildlife populations have steadily increased while hunting license sales have increased by 9% during the past 5 years.

With no conclusive science to prove that traditional ammunition is adversely impacting wildlife populations, and mindful of the significant contributions that the sale of traditional ammunition makes to wildlife conservation, Californians should join 24 national hunting and sport shooting organizations and oppose AB 711. The bill would open up a Pandora's Box of problems that would threaten the rights of hunters and shooters statewide, not to mention the impact from another law that is always in effect - the law of unintended consequences.

Larry Keane is senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @lkeane.

 

[mike rossi]

Larry Keane isn't very keen...