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Updated
October 31, 2009
SCI’s Effective
Communication with Ethiopian Government Helps Hunting Community
Attention All Members &
International Hunters:
In
early 2009, Safari Club International (SCI) learned
that trophy fees were being immediately
increased by the Ethiopian Government. Many SCI members will recall the letter
sent on April 6, 2009 by SCI requesting a reversal of
these fee increases and asking that a significant portion of the trophy revenue
should be reinvested in local communities to help sustainable use conservation(here).
SCI
received a response from the Ethiopian Wildlife and Conservation Authority (EWCA)(here)
and continued follow-up communications with the
Director General of the EWCA(here).
At the
recent symposium on the Ecological and Economic
Benefits of Hunting sponsored by the World Forum of the Future of
Shooting Sports Activities, SCI
representatives had an opportunity to speak face to face with Ethiopia’s Fetene Hailu Buta,
Director of the Wildlife Utilization Directorate,
EWCA. Director Hailu Buta expressed Ethiopia’s appreciation to SCI for addressing the
economics of hunting in Ethiopia and SCI’s willingness to
work with their government to improve communication to the greater international
hunting community.SCI is encouraged by the
willingness of the government to work with the hunting community and is pleased
to provide ourmembers with the following information concerning trophy fees for key
Ethiopian species.
According to an email sent to
SCI on Tuesday, September 29, 2009, the amended prices for year (July 2009 to
end of June 2010) are as follows:
1.The price of Mountain Nyala is reduced from USD 15,000 to USD 10,000;
2.The price of Menelik’s bushbuck is reduced from USD 6,000 to USD 4,000;
3.The price to be added on top of concession fee of each huntable species
reduced from 5% to 3%;
4.Concession fee to be paid after the outfitter secured a safari for a
specific controlled hunting area.
SCI
is also pleased to report that the most recent version of the Ethiopian hunting
regulations direct the EWCA to “transfer to the concerned regions 85% of the
revenue collected from trophy hunting, live export and filming.” This policy
increases the value of wildlife to local communities and goes a long way towards
promoting sustainable use conservation. Finally, Safari Club International
would like to thank the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority for their
continued effort to expand hunting opportunities within their country, for their
great willingness to engage SCI and the hunting community by amending their
trophy fees and looks forward to continuing the dialogue with the EWCA for years
and hunting seasons to come.
“Every
spring, Reese High School teacher Matt Lefler takes a group of teens from the
Reese Out-of-Doors Club to the local middle school, where they spend the day
teaching sixth-graders everything from finding their way with a GPS to handling
a hunting dog. Lefler's inspiration for the outdoor education program? The
American Wilderness Leadership School. Lefler is one of nearly 50 teachers who
have attended the weeklong outdoor education seminar over the past 15 years,
courtesy of the Safari Club International Foundation.” (Source: MLive.com
Online) Please read the full article by clicking HERE or by going to
http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2009/04/program_teaches_teachers_about.html.
SCI
recently received reports that South African Airlines changed its policy on
ammunition transportation and is now requiring international hunters to use a
lockable hard sided ammunition box when transporting ammunition on SAA
airplanes. After discussions with the SCI South Africa Office, SCI sent a
letter to the CEO of South African Airlines asking that this policy be
reversed. Additionally SCI requested that SAA readopt the International Air
Transport Association guidelines that are used by most airlines. Those
guidelines only require that passengers securely pack ammunition in the original
manufacturer's package or in a container designed for ammunition and of
sufficient strength to protect it from accidental crushing or discharge (i.e.
wood, fiber, plastic, or metal). Please view SCI’s letter on South African
Airlines’ ammunition policy by going to
www.safariclub.org or by clicking
HERE.
SCI-London Chapter Pursues Further Clarification from British Airways
“Further
to recent press reports regarding the carriage of sporting firearms by
passengers transiting the UK on British Airways flights, BA has taken advice
from the relevant UK government department, BERR, and can confirm that it is not
required to impose additional restrictions on the list of countries to which
sporting firearms can be taken as personal baggage by passengers flying through
the UK. Passengers will need to satisfy themselves that they fall within the
terms of the UK's Open General Export License for Sporting Guns (http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file50657.pdf) and as before, there are some prominent hunting countries for which
this license cannot be used, including Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bosnia, Croatia, Ethiopia, Iran, FYR Macedonia, Nepal, China, Serbia, Sudan,
Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe.” This above paragraph is a verbatim quote from Peter
Jones, General Manager Aviation Security, of British Airlines in an email
correspondence with SCI-London Chapter President Abigail Day. Our thanks to the
London Chapter for their continued attention to this transportation issue.
SCI-Canada’s office has partnered with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and
Hunters (OFAH) to strengthen the combined efforts of both organizations to
eliminate the wasteful Long Gun Registry. The OFAH designed an on-line petition
for Canadians to express to the government the need to end the Long Gun
Registry. More than 13,400 people have signed the electronic petition thus
far. SCI-Canada urges all Canadian SCI members to log-on to the following site
and do the same:
www.scrapthelonggunregistry.com.
SCI-Canada
proudly joins the other Canadian hunting organizations included at the bottom of
the petition. Please notice that SCI-Canada’s logo is hyper-linked to the
website. The SCI-Canada office thanks the
OFAH for this initiative and encourages Canadians to please sign the petition
today.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to
establish annual hunting regulations for certain migratory game birds for the
2009–10 hunting season. We annually prescribe outside limits (frameworks)
within which States may select hunting seasons. This proposed rule provides the
regulatory schedule, describes the proposed regulatory alternatives for the
2009–10 duck hunting seasons, requests proposals from Indian Tribes that wish to
establish special migratory game bird hunting regulations on Federal Indian
reservations and ceded lands, and requests proposals for the 2010 spring and
summer migratory bird subsistence season in Alaska. …You must submit comments
on the proposed regulatory alternatives for the 2009–10 duck hunting seasons by
June 26, 2009.” For more information, go to
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-7840.pdf.
For decades,
Americans have debated whether the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
affords individuals the right to keep guns. Today is your chance to be heard on
the issue.
USA Today’s
Quick Question asks: Does the Second Amendment give individuals the right to
bear arms?
Click here to let the nation know what you think. Take the single-question
survey now, and find out how many people agree with your interpretation of the
Second Amendment. (Results appear after you complete the survey.)
The U.S.
Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s
organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the
courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education
programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its
work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website,
www.ussportsmen.org.
The Professional Outdoor
Media Association is calling on journalists to speak directly to Congress
regarding land-use fees charged to the media for filming on public lands.
Journalists and other interested parties who want to share their views with the
Congressional Committee on Natural Resources may during a 10-day comment period.
New York City -- Outdoors enthusiasts in New York State are complaining they are
being unfairly targeted to pay more in fees and taxes in the state’s new budget. New budget revenue items include
fees for saltwater fishing license, a luxury tax on boats, taxes for boat slips, an increase in state park
fees, and higher fuel taxes. (New York Post)
Backyard bird count weekend
Ithaca, New York – The 12th
annual Great Backyard Bird Count is scheduled February 13-16. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Nationa
Audubon Society asks North Americans to count birds and report their sightings to
www.birdcount.org .
(Audubon)
51 bass anglers. 1 woman
Shreveport, Louisiana – Fifty
men and one woman compete Feb. 20-22 in the Bassmaster Classic, the world championship of bass fishing. The
field includes Kim Bain-Moore, Alabaster, Alabama, the 2008 Toyota Tundra Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year. (Greeneville Sun)
Sunglasses for "bird nests"
Fishing reel backlashes –jokingly called "birds nests"or "professional overruns" -- are the curse of anglers,
and especially hard to untangle if you're a middle-aged angler with poor close-up vision. Roland Martin to the
rescue. The nine time BASS angler of the year has endorsed a new fishing tool – polarized sunglasses with
bifocal magnifiers – to help anglers see better to clear out those backlashes, tie better fishing knots, and more. Roland Martin Signature Series – models sell for
less than '$40 -- are offered with grey or amber
lens and with bifocal magnification of 1.50, 2.00 or 2.50. Visit
www.sunmagplus.com
(Media contact: Bill AuCoin,
wmaucoin@verizon.net. 727-522-2371)
Wisconsin to Florida or bust. Whoopie.
Homosassa, Florida – Six out
of seven young whooping cranes fluttered safely down to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, their new
winter home north of Clearwater, Florida, after a 1,285 migratory learning experience behind ultralight
aircraft. The seventh crane refused to land so pilots led it to another landing area, then took it to the
refuge to rejoin its brothers and sisters. (Citrus
Daily)
Biggest, baddest day racer
San Diego, California – Larry Ellison’s $10 million trimaran with the 16-story
mainsail mast flies across the waves at 40 knots. It’s the “biggest, baddest day racer ever built," says Ed
Baird, the winning skipper of Alinghi, the reigning America’s Cup champion. "But the question is, will it
race?" A better question might be, will the New York Supreme Court let it race? (St.
Petersburg Times)
Boat sales dismal in 08
Miami, Florida – U.S. boat sales, trending down since 2004, dropped 28 percent in
2008 compared to 2007. Outboard sportfishing boat sales were down 40 percent, according to the Bellweather
Report from Info-Link Technologies. (Boating
Industry Magazine)
Manatee population increasing
St. Petersburg, Florida –
Florida’s manatee population is higher now than at any time since aerial surveys began according to Florida’s
Fish and Wildlife Institute (FWRI). In January a team of 21 observers counted 3,807 manatees, more than 500
higher than the previous survey high in 2001. (FWRI)
Male mountain lions moving through Nebraska
Columbus, Nebraska – Young
male mountain lions, chased out of the Black Hills and other areas by dominant males, are roaming east through
Nebraska’s river bottomlands in search of females. Since 1991 the Game and Parks Department has documented 70 confirmed sightings. Two of the most recent sightings
were near Columbus, Nebraska. (Omaha
World Herald)
Yin/Yang of artificial lures
Largo, Florida – Mirrolure,
known by anglers for its successful line of "hard" artificial lures, has added "soft" to its collection of
lures for catching salt and freshwater gamefish. Mirrolure spokesman Eric Bachnik said the company has told fishing tackle retailers that for 2009 it will ship
two soft paddle tail models, the four-inch Soft Shad available in 14 colors and the three-inch Soft Sardine
available in 10 colors. Bachnik said the company is testing other soft plastic shapes and colors and soon
will announce more models. To learn more visitwww.mirrolure.com or phone 727-584-7691. (Media contact: Eric Bachnik,
ebachnik@tampabay.rr.com)
The mother of multitools
Swiss Army Knives has introduced the mother of all multitools – 87 tools that do everything from point a laser beam at your big
presentation to cut your cigar at the post-sale celebration. Just $1,200. (
Popular Mechanics)
Wolves descended from dogs?
Palo Alto, California – Dogs are descended from wolves, of course, but now it appears that some wolves are descended from dogs. Stanford University researchers have determined that black wolves
inherited their coat color from domesticated dogs. And that’s a good thing in so far as it helps promote genetic diversity, boosts the immune system and may even
help camouflage wolves in wooded areas. (Sciencenews.org)
Hunting Dog Hall of Fame
Birmingham, Alabama – Waterfowl hunters are invited to honor their most
special dog, hunting companion and friend, with a remembrance brick in the International Hunting Dog Hall
of Fame. The donation helps fund research for hunting-dog related illnesses. (Waterfowl
& Retriever Magazine)
Please
Mention FGHP when you hire our Guides & Outfitters. It is Important!
*Our
AnyHunt, Any Place, Any Time Guarantee:
1. We will find a guide if one exists in the area you want to hunt.
2. We obviously can not find you a guide who can get you an animal that is not
indigenous
to an area.. Our Guarantee is this.. if you cant find a guide here
on the site we will do all in our power to find a guide for you in the
area
you want to hunt or a guide or outfitter as close as is possible.
IF you cant find a guide contact me for PERSONAL SERVICE:
Jim Dicken by e-mail by clicking on my name to the left.
