New Wildlife Conservation Council Filled with Trophy Hunters, NRA Leaders

Ryan Zinke, the abomination of a Secretary of Interior, has created a new advisory board to rewrite federal rules for importing the carcasses of dead animals killed by trophy hunters.  That board is filled with trophy hunters themselves and Trump's friends and family.

A new U.S. advisory board created to help rewrite federal rules for importing the heads and hides of African elephants, lions and rhinos is stacked with trophy hunters, including some members with direct ties to Trump and his family.

A review by The Associated Press of the backgrounds and social media posts of the 16 board members appointed by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke indicates they will agree with his position that the best way to protect critically threatened or endangered species is by encouraging wealthy Americans to shoot some of them.

....under Zinke, a former Montana congressman who is an avid hunter, the Fish and Wildlife Service has quietly moved to reverse Obama-era restrictions on bringing trophies from African lions and elephants into the United States.

There’s little indication dissenting perspectives will be represented on the.... conservation council.

They have the nerve to call it the "conservation counsel."  Here's information on a few of the members:

Appointees include celebrity hunting guides, representatives from rifle and bow manufacturers, and wealthy sportspeople who boast of bagging the coveted “Big Five” — elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and Cape buffalo.

1) One appointee co-owns a private New York hunting preserve with Trump’s adult sons. 

Most are high-profile members of Safari Club International and the National Rifle Association, groups that have sued the Fish and Wildlife Service to expand the list of countries from which trophy kills can be legally imported.

2) ....Safari Club’s president Paul Babaz.... and 3) Erica Rhoad, a lobbyist and former GOP congressional staffer who is the NRA’s director of hunting policy.

4) Bill Brewster is a retired Oklahoma congressman and lobbyist who served on the boards of the Safari Club and the NRA. An NRA profile lauded Brewster and his wife’s five decades of participation and support for hunting, and his purchase of a lifetime NRA membership for his grandson when the boy was 3 days old.

5) Gary Kania, vice president of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, a group that lobbies Congress and state governments on issues affecting hunters and fishermen.

A few thoughts from animal advocates, who we also refer to as sane human beings:

....environmentalists and animal welfare advocates say tourists taking photos generate more economic benefit, and hunters typically target the biggest and strongest animals, weakening already vulnerable populations.

In a letter this week, a coalition of more than 20 environmental and animal welfare groups objected that the one-sided makeup of the council could violate the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires government boards to be balanced in terms of points of view and not improperly influenced by special interests. The groups said they nominated a qualified representative, but Zinke didn’t select him.

Democrats in Congress are fighting Zinke.  We need more to fight with them.

Dozens of House Democrats have asked Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to halt all trophy hunting import decisions for elephants and other species, expressing “deep concern” over the Trump administration’s policy.

The 55 lawmakers, led by House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), complained in a Tuesday letter that Interior’s decision to consider trophy import licenses on a “case-by-case”basis reduces transparency and accountability and will allow more imports of animal parts into the country.

 

Sources: 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/15/trump-wildlife-board-stuffed-trophy-hunters/430376002/

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/378162-dems-push-zinke-to-halt-all-trophy-hunting-imports

Date: 
Thursday, March 22, 2018