Jim Range, one of the country’s greatest champions for sportsmen-conservationists, has been honored with a posthumous nomination as a finalist for the Budweiser Conservationist of the Year award. This annual program recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to perpetuating the American outdoor way of life. Budweiser and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will donate $50,000 to the 2010 winner’s conservation organization of choice, with the money to fund the group’s conservation efforts. The three runners-ups will receive $5,000 grants for the conservation organization of their choosing. Jim’s family has designated the TRCP to receive the proceeds from this honor.



Jim spent his entire professional life conserving and enhancing Americans’ hunting and fishing opportunities. His cumulative efforts stand as a very high benchmark to those of us who care about our outdoor sporting heritage – and the lands and waters on which we pursue these traditions. His ability to inspire passion in others through his words and actions rallied countless supporters around his conservation vision.



In addition to his critical role in establishing and chairing the TRCP, Jim served on the boards of directors for Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, the Wetlands America Trust, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the American Sportfishing Association, the American Bird Conservancy, the Pacific Forest Trust, the Yellowstone Park Foundation and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, among others. He also was an original NFWF board member and worked directly with many other hunting, fishing and conservation groups to advance conservation and sportsmen’s interests in Washington and around the country. During his 11 years on Capitol Hill working for Sen. Howard Baker, Jim fought tirelessly to conserve our natural resources with a bipartisan approach that became his trademark. He played a critical role in the passage of several landmark laws, including the Clean Water Act. In 2003, Jim received the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Great Blue Heron Award, the highest honor given by the department to an individual at the national level.

To read about all the finalists, and to cast a vote, please go to www.budweiser.com -- Jay Cassell

Koebus Möller, a wildlife artist from Zimbabwe, Africa, has been named the 2010 Conservation Artist of the Year by the Safari Club International Foundation. Möller received the honor for his oil painting of a white rhinoceros entitled "Disturbed Mud Bath." The painting will be auctioned at the 2010 SCI Convention in Reno, Nevada, on January 20-23, and 100 percent of the proceeds will be dedicated to wildlife conservation efforts.

Wildlife art has been an integral part of SCI auctions at its annual Hunters' Convention and through the years, the sales of artwork has funded dozens of local and international conservation programs. In 2006, the Safari Club International Foundation created the Conservation Alliance in an effort to recruit original paintings from world-renowned artists.

Through the program, an original painting was donated and auctioned at the SCI Convention with the proceeds invested in SCIF wildlife conservation efforts. It also provided free, numbered prints of the original painting to local SCI chapters. The chapters used the prints as auction items at banquets and fundraising activities to support local conservation efforts.

In 2007, the Conservation Alliance evolved into the Conservation Artist of the Year Program and $90,000 has been raised from auctioned originals. The program has provided continuing funding for wood bison restoration projects and African lion research studies and programs.

For information, please go to safariclub.org - Jay Cassell

A weeklong celebration of Bristol Bay salmon is scheduled to kick off in Seattle, Washington, on November 15. Bristol Bay, located in Southwest Alaska, is home to the nation’s largest and most valuable wild salmon fishery. During the celebration week, a variety of Seattle restaurants will feature Bristol Bay wild salmon on their menus to support Trout Unlimited’s Savor Bristol Bay campaign.

Savor Bristol Bay is a unique collaboration between the fine dining industry and Trout Unlimited, the nation’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Savor Bristol Bay aims to educate seafood lovers about the unique flavor, health benefits and sustainability of Bristol Bay salmon while also informing consumers about the risks the fishery faces from Pebble, a proposed open-pit gold and copper mine.

“Bristol Bay produces some of the world’s best wild salmon and yields the largest run of sockeye salmon on the planet. I’m pleased to feature this extraordinary seafood at my restaurant and I encourage people to try it. I’m certain they’ll be won over by its delicious taste and want to do what they can to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed mine,” said Kevin Davis, co-owner of and executive chef at Seattle’s Steelhead Diner. An avid fly fisherman, Davis recently returned from a lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., where he pushed for the permanent protection of Bristol Bay.

If developed, Pebble would be one of the world’s largest open-pit mines, located in the headwaters of Bristol Bay’s most productive salmon rivers. This massive open-pit mine would alter, if not destroy, the region’s pristine spawning habitat and generate billions of tons of waste containing metals toxic to fish. The mine not only threatens the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery but also the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen, many of whom live in the Pacific Northwest.

For more information, please go to www.savebristolbay.org -- Jay Cassell

America's sportsmen enjoy impressive opportunities for fishing and hunting because the conservation actions of the last century have delivered abundant and widely distributed populations of fish and game. But the geographic ranges of fish, wildlife and habitats we see today are likely to shift. Big game will have to adapt to changes in their forage base and alter their migration patterns. Changes in water quality and quantity will affect both saltwater and freshwater ecosystems and fisheries. Wetland losses predicted for the prairie pothole region could reduce waterfowl productivity in North America's duck-breeding "factory." Invasive species, parasites and disease-causing organisms may flourish in warmer temperatures, profoundly affecting upland game birds.

Sportsmen are likely to be among the first to experience the impacts of climate change. Their hunting and fishing opportunities in those places where they have enjoyed past successes and great memories are likely to be altered. How we address the challenges of global climate change now will dictate the sporting opportunities for future generations. In adapting to climate change, securing funding for wildlife management will be critical. The proper tools and resources will enable wildlife management agencies to take steps to monitor fish and wildlife resources and mitigate the effects of climate change.

In order to implement this strategy, the TRCP has established the climate change working group, 20 scientists and fish and wildlife experts working to ensure that the issue of climate change is properly addressed in order to conserve the resources that hunters and anglers use.

For more information, please go to trcp.org -- Jay Cassell

I just got this email from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. I thought I'd share it with readers of this blog....Jay Cassell


MISSOULA, Mont.—Whether they work individually or as part of a group, volunteers are essential to conservation today—even more so tomorrow.

That’s the consensus of conservation professionals who predict that fish, wildlife and habitat, as well as the future of America’s sporting traditions, will depend more and more on devoted souls whose only paycheck is the personal reward of preserving traditional values and passing on a cherished way of life.

Volunteerism spans from teaching a neighbor kid to cast at a nearby pond to serving on a board that directs policy for international wildlife habitat initiatives.

A conservation organization can be an effective channel for many volunteer passions.

Here’s how to get involved:

1. Consider why you’re interested in volunteering. Do you want to make a difference in the
world, or in your own corner of the outdoors? Is it about building your own skills and social
network? Or are you simply inspired to give something back to a special place, species or
heritage? These questions can help you choose the right organization.

2. Select an outfit that represents something special to you. If your pulse quickens at the thought of mallards over decoys, an elk bugling from a golden stand of aspens, a bass exploding on a topwater lure, there’s a group for you. Ditto if you’re concerned about Second Amendment
issues. Maybe you believe that youths in your community should know more about handling
firearms safely, or how hunting and angling pay for conservation. Or perhaps you’re just
worried about the kudzu infestation in the back pasture of your hunting club. Whatever your
interest, there’s probably a good fit for you somewhere out there. If not, start something new.

3. Speak with staff or volunteers from the organization and ask what opportunities exist for
newcomers as well as experienced volunteers. Attend a meeting to see how the group
interacts. At its best, volunteering is a selfless act for a greater good, but everyone wants to
feel appropriately appreciated—find out how the outfit says thank you.

4. Seek out volunteer tasks that suit you. Conservation always needs money but if soliciting
donations isn’t your cup of tea, consider helping setup for a fundraising event or even a back
-office gig stuffing envelopes. Maybe you’d rather install aquatic habitat or remove decrepit
fencing from a big-game migration corridor. Of course, it’s fun to learn new things and
there’s real satisfaction in completing less pleasant tasks, but it pays to ensure your core
duties will be compatible with your time and talent.

5. Start small. If you already have a busy schedule, commitments at home or unpredictable work hours, you can still get involved. In fact, most organizations want volunteers who are busy
people because busy people know how to get things done. See about working for only an
hour or two per week or perhaps one day per month. Later, if you find you enjoy the work and
have more time to pursue it, gradually take on more.

6. Ask, don’t demand. People in charge of organizing volunteers are often volunteers
themselves, but, invariably, they’re working to meet certain goals with a bigger mission in
mind. Especially if you’re just starting out, the best bet is simply assimilating into their
system. Later on, if you see that it could work better, make suggestions on how to fix it.

7. Ask questions and do research, but until you get your feet wet, you won’t know if
volunteering for a particular organization is really right for you.

Volunteering allows a person to make a lasting mark on conservation, leave America’s outdoors as—or better than—they found it, and hand down a meaningful personal legacy to their children and grandchildren.

It matters not whether you get involved individually or as part of a group. The important thing is just getting started.

Sooner the better.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN -President Obama recently signed historic legislation aimed at the restoring the Great Lakes after the House and Senate approved the measure. According to Ducks Unlimited, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will provide $475 million for a comprehensive program to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Ducks Unlimited stands ready to turn this financial commitment into cleaner water and better habitat for waterfowl, wildlife and citizens of the Great Lakes and beyond.

"Congress and the President have delivered on their promise to help protect and restore one of our national treasures,' said Robert D. Hoffman, Director of Ducks Unlimited's Great Lakes/Atlantic Region. "We are grateful to all of the Great Lakes partners and Congressional and Administration champions for making this funding a reality."

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was proposed by the President to address the most serious issues that face the Great Lakes. Loss of habitat, invasive species, nonpoint source pollution, and toxic sediments threaten the health and economic well being of residents and damages the United States largest fresh water resource. Program administrators have a valuable document in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, a blueprint developed by more than 1,500 people representing governmental, industry, and nonprofit groups to set priorities and identify needs, which will receive funding for its most pressing programs.

"DU has been working with our federal, state and conservation partners to develop a list of habitat conservation projects that will protect and restore thousands of acres in the Great Lakes watershed, said Gildo Tori, Great Lakes/Atlantic Region Director of Public Policy, "We are ready to act and put more habitat on the ground and in the water so that our wildlife and citizens can reap sustainable environmental and economic benefits."

Ducks Unlimited works in every Great Lake state restoring and protecting wetlands and associated habitat. These lands supply the region with cleaner water, economic activity and recreation. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will provide much needed resources for a healthier Great Lakes region, and Ducks Unlimited will facilitate the success of the program through advocacy, scientific support, and project delivery.

To learn more about the initiative, as well as recent DU programs, go to ducks.org -- Jay Cassell