Jack Lorenz Passes

On March 2, Jack Lorenz who served 18 years as the executive director of the Izaak Walton League, passed away.

"He was the nation's spokesman for many years on the ethical management of hunting, angling and off-road vehicle use," said Paul W. Hansen, who was executive director of the Izaak Walton League from 1995 to 2007. "He was one of the nation's most well known and popular environmentalists."


Sea Lions Culled to Save Salmon and Steelhead

"As wildlife managers, we have a responsibility to do what we can to protect vulnerable fish runs,” said Guy Norman, southwest regional manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. "California sea lions -- some weighing more than 1,000 pounds -- can literally eat their weight in salmon and steelhead in a couple of months below Bonneville Dam.”


Florida Gov. Declares Panther Day

"Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has issued a proclamation, extending greetings and best wishes to all who observe Save the Florida Panther Day March 21.

"In the proclamation, Crist noted "It is proper and fitting for all Floridians to pause and reflect on the plight of the Florida panther and the task of preserving this rare component of Florida's diverse natural resources as a legacy to generations of Floridians yet to come."

Carrie Underwood, the pop icon born of American Idol, has decided to donate the proceeds of her cover of "Home Sweet Home" to the Humane Society of the United States, according to Pete Thomas of the L.A. Times. He quotes her as saying on her website: "I've always loved this song, and besides being very fitting for 'Idol,' to me, the title is also very fitting with animal rescue and finding animals their own homes."

The article includes an apt response from the US Sportsmen's Alliance, the basic upshot being that Ms. Underwood perhaps does not understand what the HSUS actually does, and that she should beware that her country music listeners may not enjoy her support of an anti-hunting group like the HSUS.

The HSUS is a political action and advocacy group, which, while having backed some good legislation such as the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, also works to end hunting, all hunting, as a matter of principal, which understandably angers sportsmen.

What makes the HSUS so smart, and so rich, is that many people, including apparently Ms. Underwood, still believe that the term 'humane society' automatically equals animal shelter. In fact, the term has never been that straightforward. The phrase is as old as our nation, having originated in 1776 as the second name of a London group dedicated to resuscitating victims of drowning (the original name was the Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned, which is really so much clearer). That group is now known as The Royal Humane Society, which acknowledges "acts of bravery in the saving of human life and, also, for the restoration of life by resuscitation" by giving out awards. This is all very honorable.

Moreover, the term as applied to people makes a lot of sense--humane, after all, is a derivative of the word human.

But at least as early as 1877 humane became associated with animals with the founding of the American Humane Association, which boasts being "the only national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals." It's also the group that certifies the "No animals were harmed during the making of this film" disclaimers at the ends of movies. But once again, this humane society is a political group, and has nothing to do with directly running animal shelters. Notably, the AHA says the following about hunting: "[The AHA] recognizes that many families in our country rely on hunting as a source of food... [our] efforts are not focused on banning hunting in the United States."

At some point, animal shelters and humane societies became synonymous, and these days that's a kick in the pants to hunters. As Ms. Underwood's statements demonstrate, the HSUS, founded in 1954, continues to reap huge benefits from the confusion that its name causes. Relatively few people back known extreme animal rights groups like PETA, but most everyone understands the importance of animal shelters and will support "the humane society" for that reason. Perhaps hunters should learn from this and form their own humane society--the Humane Society for Animal Conservation, dedicated to the stewardship of sustainable wild game populations through hunting, license fees, and field restoration work. A good label, after all, can take you a long way.

-Thomas McCafferty