Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the reformation of a White House panel devoted to hunting and fishing traditions today. In announcing the renamed and expanded White House Hunting Heritage Conservation Council – formerly the White House Sportsmen’s Conservation Council – Secretaries Salazar and Vilsack renewed the call to protect and expand America’s proud sporting traditions.
The following statement from Ducks Unlimited Director of Public Policy Barton James is in reaction to the announcement:
“Keeping the traditions of waterfowling alive into the next generations of sportsmen is a top priority for Ducks Unlimited.
This advisory board will help ensure that public policies are enacted that promote waterfowl and wildlife habitat conservation in all aspects of government, and continue to promote the positive economic benefit that hunters have on the US economy. We have been happy to serve on the Council in the past, and thank the administration for the invitation to participate again.
“Waterfowl play an especially important role, as their migratory patterns make it necessary to encourage conservation across all of North America. The conservation decisions made in places like New York and North Dakota can affect the overall experience for hunters in the Chesapeake Bay, the Louisiana Coast, and Central Valley of California.
“Ducks Unlimited is pleased that this administration is working with sportsmen to help guide the wise investment of hunter dollars to ensure that future generations can participate in these traditions, and we look forward to having an active role.”
Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved over 13 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.