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Safari Club to open local chapter The Tri-City sportsmen's newest weapon against anti-hunting extremists has arrived. Safari Club International, one of the fastest-growing hunting advocacy organizations in the world for more than 30 years, has started a Columbia Basin chapter. It joins four others in the state - all fighting to hold the line on a hunting heritage enjoyed by more than 15 million Americans. Mark Cook, a longtime Kennewick hunter and a board member of the Richland Rod and Gun Club, said he saw a need to start a local chapter after being a member of the SCI's Inland Empire chapter in Spokane for 14 years. "Tri-City sportsmen need to be heard and they need to be more informed about what's going on when it comes to issues that affect the future of hunting," he said. Cook said it's vital that hunters not camouflage their love for hunting, whether their passion is waterfowl, upland birds, wild turkey or big game. "I believe that everyone who hunts should be a member of the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International. By doing so, we can become a strong political force to counter those who are trying to take away our hunting rights," he said. One of SCI's primary goals, Cook said, is to focus its energies upon shaping positive opinions on hunting from the White House to the Capitol in Olympia. From its Washington, D.C., offices, SCI monitors the actions of federal and state agencies to assure fair access to public lands for hunting and fishing. It also rallies local voters to fight anti-hunter ballot initiatives and support state referendums that would make hunting and fishing constitutional rights. While inroads are being made, Cook said the collective voice of hunters must be louder than the well-funded anti-hunting extremists who use publicity stunts, lawsuits, arson, bombings and other violent acts to assail hunting rights. Here in Washington, SCI and other groups helped form the Hunter's Heritage Council about four years ago to lobby state legislators on behalf of sportsmen. Ed Owens, a spokesman for the council, said its most current project was a statewide big-game hunting registry for damage-control hunts. The Legislature recently passed a law directing the state to set up the program to better coordinate these special hunts. The Hunter's Heritage Council also convinced legislators to raise the cost of the state waterfowl stamp from $6 to $10 to help with habitat and winter feeding programs. The law, which must be adopted by the state Wildlife Commission, would take effect July 1, but the increase most likely would not be seen by hunters until next year, Owens said. The council also is working to overturn the anti-trapping Initiative 713. "We came within one vote in the House from getting it overturned this session. And we hope that eventually we will be successful, perhaps next year," he added. Besides fighting to save hunting on the political front, SCI chapters fund hundreds of local, regional and global wildlife conservation projects each year. In fact, each SCI chapter is required to fund at least one conservation and education project a year. Cook said the Columbia Basin chapter plans to redo the disabled hunter blind on the Peninsula Unit of the McNary National Wildlife Refuge in Burbank later this year. "We plan to make it more user friendly and more accessible for wheelchair hunters," he said. It's no secret that hunters have long played a key role in wildlife conservation. Through their contributions of time and money, sportsmen are the reason why so many wildlife species are thriving despite continued destruction of habitat caused by development and urban sprawl. According to the organization, families in the United States that belong to SCI spend more than $440 million annually on hunting, with $3.2 million of that in the form of taxes and license fees which goes directly into wildlife research and habitat improvement. To kick off SCI's move into the Tri-Cities, Cook said the local chapter plans to hold its first fund-raising dinner and auction June 1 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Pasco. Dinner costs $25 per person, and those attending the banquet also can join the local chapter for $40, which includes 12 issues of Safari Times, a newsletter that keeps hunters abreast of issues affecting them locally, nationally and internationally. For more information about the Columbia Basin Chapter of SCI, call 582-4760 or 541-567-9409. Sportsmen can also learn more about SCI on the Internet at SafariClub.org. * * * State Department of Fish and Wildlife parking permits have a new name, look and display requirements. The Vehicle Use Permits, formerly known as Access Stewardship Decals, are required on any posted Fish and Wildlife department lands. The permits generate funds to maintain state lands and water access sites used by hunters, anglers, boaters, bird watchers and others. The permits will now be issued only once a year to every person who buys a hunting or fishing license. The permit also can be transferred between up to two vehicles. In the past, the parking decal was issued to a single license holder and could not be used on more than one vehicle. Additional permits may be purchased for $5 each; original permits are $10 each if purchased without a hunting or fishing license. The new permits must be clearly displayed, but they can be placed on the dash, hung from the rear view mirror or placed on the front seat. The penalty for using state lands without a permit also has been reduced from $66 to $30 if the vehicle owner can show proof that a permit has been purchased within 15 days of the violation. The parking permit changes were approved by the Legislature last year. n Ken Hoopengarner has been the Herald's outdoor editor for 21 years. He can be reached at 582-1544 or via e-mail at khoopengarner@tri-cityherald.com. |
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