Safari Club International Praises President�s Announcement

Bush Announces �Grand Slam� of Conservation Initiatives Benefiting Hunters

Tucson, Ariz. Aug. 4, 2004 -- The leadership of SCI, First for Hunters, today announced its strong support for the package of conservation initiatives announced by the president in Le Sueur, Minnesota.

The president announced three separate initiatives to dramatically increase wildlife habitat across the country. The first opens an early re-enrollment and extension period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP.) SCI President John Monson noted �The CRP program is critical to increasing wildlife habitat and game populations. Hunters will see incredible benefits from the president�s decision to expand the reach of this program.�

The president also announced an initiative to create 250,000 acres of new habitat for northern bobwhite quail. SCI executive Director Tom Riley, a former official with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, congratulated the president for taking this important step. �We are delighted the president is taking this unprecedented step toward re-establishing native bobwhite populations. In many parts of the country, native quail hunting was at risk of becoming a historical footnote, but the president�s actions today will help reverse that trend. We all look forward to a day when bobwhite will once again roam their original range.�

Finally, the president announced the Non-Floodplain Wetland Restoration Initiative to encourage landowners to enroll 250,000 acres of wetlands and lakes that are outside the 100-year floodplain.

Mike Simpson, president-elect of SCI, applauded the entire package. �This president has shown that he is a man of action, not words, when it comes to conservation. This package offers dramatic benefits for America�s wildlife habitats and their game populations. We are proud that SCI has had a place at the table in discussing these efforts.� SCI attended meetings on these issues at the White House and at the president�s ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Simpson continued, �But more importantly, the president has turned those discussions into concrete, positive action. There are lots of politicians calling themselves hunters in their TV ads these days, but they�ve never lifted a finger to advance these key programs. Hunters have many reasons today to appreciate the president�s credentials as a true conservationist.�

Issue Background:

CRP: CRP is the country�s largest conservation program on private lands. CRP participants remove land from agricultural production in exchange for rental payments and partial payment toward the cost of establishing conservation practices. In three years, 16 million acres under CRP contract will expire. Another 6 million acres will follow in 2008, 4 million in 2009 and 2 million in 2010. President Bush�s directive to offer early re-enrollment and extensions of existing contracts to current CRP participants underscores a commitment to full enrollment of CRP up to 39.2 million acres.

Bobwhite Quail: A native species with a historic range in the Midwest and Southeast, bobwhite quail populations have declined dramatically over the last twenty five years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the program will provide $125 million in payments to participants who create quail habitat, increasing population numbers by 750,000 birds per year.

Wetlands: The wetlands restoration initiative builds on the president�s earlier announcement of a plan to restore and improve at least 3 million acres of wetlands over the next five years. Restoration of wetlands offers tremendous environmental benefits. Wetlands filter runoff, recharge groundwater supplies, protect drinking water and reduce downstream flooding. Restoring these systems will provide habitat for many wildlife species, including waterfowl and sandhill cranes.

Thanks Tony. Always nice to see something good happening for the Game as well as the Hunter(s).

Surely the "pro-hunting" Democrat Pres. wannabe will endorse this move by President Bush! Come on, Mr. Senator! Where's your support for hunters and hunting?