I have been a member of SCI and a local chapter for 10 years now and this is why I love SCI.

Most of my experience is working with the foundation. I think the foundation’s best program is the American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS). In short AWLS teaches the role of hunting in conservation to school teachers. There is a lot of other pluses such as becoming Certified Archery in the School Programs but you can learn more by watching this video at the 10 Minute mark.

http://www.michiganoutofdoorst...hows.cfm?VideoID=531



Hunters in US make up 5% of the population based on license sales. Folks we are a minority. It is the people in the city that are going to determine the future of hunting, shooting, archery…. AWLS give us a chance to teach future voters about hunting and its positive impact.

One of the teachers we recently sent would be considered a liberal “Tree hugger.” She returned from AWLS with an understanding of hunting’s role in conservation and she said she never realized the money that hunters contribute to wildlife. She said she will probably never be a hunter but will buy a license every year to contribute. She started introducing the lessons she learned right away to her classes and her and another teacher are going to start an archery in the school program. She also sees this as another opportunity to get kids outdoors.

If she teaches 5 classes a day to 30 kids a class for the next 20 years that is 3,000 future voters who heard good things about hunting. If She just teaches 30 kids a year for 20 years that is 600 kids. AWLS teaches a couple of hundred teachers a year. Our area in SW Ohio sent 15 teachers last year which would be about 9000 to 45,000 future voters impacted by these teachers.



50+ chapters have a program called the Sensory Safari. In short, the purpose is to introduce conservation and animals to the visually impaired- blind. We take our sight for granted but most of the blind do not know the difference between a whitetail and a squirrel. Blind kids to senior citizens love this program. We allow them to touch every mount. Thy love interacting with the animals and I can share many stories of happy people and parents.

Sensory Safari is designed for the blind but we get great numbers by setting up in city schools, Cabela’s, Boy Scout Camps and county fairs. The schools are very rewarding because the kids will ask you pointed questions: “Why did you kill all of these animals?” “Are these animals real?... Once again, an opportunity to bring up hunting and conservation to elementary to high school students.

The principal of one of the first schools we attended did not like the idea of us being there. He relented after the persistence of one of our AWLS teachers. After seeing the kids interacting with the taxidermy he called his wife and had her bring their kids down. One class was talking about the symbiotic relationship between a cape buffalo and oxpecker bird and we had a cape buffalo mount for them to interact and enhance their studies.

It is not only kids but the teachers themselves we can talk to about hunting and conservation. I have talked to anti-hunting teachers about conservation. I had one teacher for gifted students who made the statement “Lions don’t attack people in Africa anymore.”








It is just not teachers but it is an opportunity to interact with hunters. I have met a number of hunters who were against hunting lions, elephants… because they are endangered. Once again all opportunities to interact with voters and future voters.

In addition to those projects like many chapters we support a number of hunts, kayaking, disabled veteran shooters and archery shooters. We also support youth groups be it 4H, jakes, Archery in the School, Boy scouts…





We have the blue bag program that we bring bags of medical and school supplies to schools and orphanages in Africa and elsewhere in the world.



We also support our local game wardens with night vision goggles, flashlights and a dog for their new canine program.



The foundation will provide grants back to the chapters to help us with all of these programs. To my knowledge SCI is the only group teaching teachers to teach conservation. Our Chapter recruited 15 teachers last year for AWLS and with the help of our members, a NWTF chapter another SCI Chapter and the foundation all of those teachers attended AWLS with 100% scholarships.

Also when I call the foundation or SCI everyone is very customer serviced focused – they would rival USAA. They all have can-do attitudes and will always help me on a last minute or short term notice.

I am more familiar with the foundation side but the SCI itself plays a role in lobbying in the US and on international stage promoting hunting rights.

I am not sure of the money side but it would be expensive to have attorneys, biologist and others on staff in DC to work with the decision makers that affect us hunters.

There may be areas of improvement in terms of money management, annual fundraiser….. but SCI is not the enemy. It takes money to do everything they do. I think the world is better with a SCI than it would be without.

Jim Hayes

Please resize the pictures. It is impossible to read the text.....

The Alabama Chapter of SCI sent me to AWLS for one of the student sessions in 1987, when I was 13 years old. Quite the experience for a country boy whose wildest adventures before that were to the Florida Gulf Coast.

Great stuff Jim. Thanks for posting... we sometimes miss the forest for the trees, but this brings the positives SCI contributes to conservation awareness and renewable natural resources that we often overlook in our haste to find what is wrong with an organization.

The Alaska Chapter and the other chapter up here the Kenai Chapter are great. We finance a lot of different conservation efforts, youth education, and we are ver politically active. That political advocacy has funded conservation, protected hunting methods, protected hunting for various species, protected access to various areas for hunting, and helped to reintroduce the wood bison to Alaska after a couple hundred year absence!

Brett

Back in the day, the Birmingham Alabama Chapter provided a 1yr scholarship for wildlife seniors - I was lucky enough to receive it and they paid for my last year of college.

Fantastic.

Now can someone tell us what they are doing in Africa?

NO matter how much people get on SCI case, I love local chapter gatherings and annual convention despite much criticism
No different than NRA, anyone ever says shit against NRA, they got shit coming down on them

Local chapters have always been doing good.

It is the brain dead headquarters that are fast asleep.

The public is being brainwashed by the antis, and I do not see SCI doing anything to counter that.

DSC had enough of them, started their own, and are doing wonderful things in the name hunters.

quote:

NO matter how much people get on SCI case, I love local chapter gatherings and annual convention despite much criticism

+1 That's one thing I miss now that I live in Missouri. I had two great SCI Chapters back in Michigan that I loved.

I have never heard a singe bad thing about local Chapters.

There is a saying:

"Perception is reality" and the perception of the national organization is less than stellar.

You are BANG on!! I have been involved since the early 80's and the response to AWLS program is universally POSSITIVE...you can change antis and liberal attitudes...because they are generally self generated ideals...not founded on facts...feed the facts and data...hard to argue!!
The next thing that needs to happen is a massive Ad campaign that visually displays the hunters role of conserving and protecting animals in international hunting fields by hiring the local tribal members to work in camps, do the 24/7/365 anti poaching patrols, receive funds and meat back, placing an economic value on wildlife...and protecting tribal members and crops from marauding animals... show this in vivid reality TV...more facts and data...pretty hard to argue the facts and scientific evidence...stop hunting, poaching runs rampant and all suffer>>>
SCI,DSC, NRA and all others, LISTEN UP...we need to get started on this initiative TODAY!!
Otherwise anti's win on lies and emotional lies and drama queens blabber!!
Cheers,

Our chapter have helped building a school im Mozambiqe and we are bringing bluebags with school tools to several african countries ....