Salazar and Vilsack Announce Appointments to Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council

Washington — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and
Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the
appointments of 18 people to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage
Conservation Council, a group created earlier this year to advise
the two departments about recreational hunting and shooting sports
activities and associated wildlife and habitat conservation.

“Inspired by the legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt, hunters
long have taken the lead in the conservation of our nation’s
wildlife and its habitat, and I am pleased so many of the leaders
in our nation’s hunting and conservation community have accepted an
invitation to serve on the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage
Conservation Council,” said Salazar. “At the recent America’s Great
Outdoors conference, President Obama said that few pursuits are
more satisfying to the spirit than discovering the greatness of
America’s outdoors. I look forward to working with the council to
help fulfill my generation’s obligation to ensure that the next
generation enjoys a thriving wildlife heritage.”

“Maintaining and conserving wildlife habitat and water resources
that are so important to America’s hunting and angling heritage in
the face of today’s conservation challenges requires a coordinated
effort between federal, state, and local officials and partners in
the private sector,” said Vilsack. “The members of Wildlife and
Hunting Heritage Conservation Council will play a crucial role in
our ongoing efforts to improve the health and management of
America’s public and private lands.”

The secretaries announced the appointment of the following
individuals – whose terms begin immediately – to serve on the
council for a two-year term:

· M. David Allen (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)

· Jeffrey S. Crane (Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation)

· Robert R. Fithian (Alaska Professional Hunters Association,
Inc.)

· John E. Frampton (SC Department of Natural Resources)

· Thomas Franklin (Theodore Roosevelt Conservation
Partnership)

· Ron Heward (rancher, Bates Hole/Shirley Basin Sage Grouse
Working Group)

· Robert Manes (The Nature Conservancy)

· Frederick D. Maulson (Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife
Commission)

· Tommy Millner (Cabela’s)

· Robert Model (Boone and Crockett Club)

· Joanna Prukop (Freedom to Roam)

· Stephen L. Sanetti (National Shooting Sports Foundation)

· Larry Schweiger (National Wildlife Federation)

· Christine L. Thomas (College of Natural Resources, University
of Wisconsin)

· George C. Thornton (National Wild Turkey Federation)

· John Tomke (Ducks Unlimited)

· Howard K. Vincent (Pheasants Forever)

· Steve Williams (Wildlife Management Institute)

The council is an official advisory group under the Federal
Advisory Committee Act that will help to promote and preserve
America’s hunting heritage for future generations. It will also
provide a forum for sportsmen 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.

The new council replaces and improves upon the previously
existing Sporting Conservation Council by expanding membership to
include the hunting and shooting sports industries, as well as
including broader representation from the nation’s major hunting
organizations. The council’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.