Renee Snider - Weatherby Foundation
Transcription
Renee Snider - Weatherby Foundation
SUMMER 2014 Editor: Kameron Bybee www.weatherbyfoundation.com Renee Snider 57th Recipient of the Weatherby Big Game Hunting and Conservation Award Renee Snider is a diminutive woman and modest about her achievements, but don’t let her quiet demeanor fool you. A world-class big game hunter with drive and heart, Renee’s passion for the outdoors began as a youngster as she accompanied her father, who was a skilled outdoorsman, hunting along the Continental Divide. Renee first traveled to Africa with her husband, Paul, in 1979. Finally, by 1982, he persuaded her to carry a rifle herself. She has enjoyed hunting with family and friends over the years, however for the past 20 years she has hunted alone worldwide. While in Africa, Renee’s humanitarian skills come into play. She takes medical supplies with her and treats native villagers topically and administers major first aid. In some remote areas, Renee is the only medical source these people will ever see. Renee has collected a large number of different species, including the African Big Five, North American Grand Slam, Triple Slam, Ovis and Capra Super 30, and North American 30. She has received the prestigious Diana Award and is the only woman to receive the Golden Malek Award and the OVIS Award in their histories. When asked about her favorite hunt, she will simply respond “It is not just about the hunt. More importantly, it is about the beautiful people one meets, the different cultures one experiences and the Renee has collected a large number different species, including breathtaking landscape one has the pleasure to see. the African Big Five, North American Grand Slam, Triple Slam, They are all very special Ovis and Capra Super 30, and North American 30. memories.” 1 I A Letter from the President… am more than pleased to report that we had a very successful inaugural Gala in Dallas this past January, hosting 500 attendees! I have heard only good things and that everyone enjoyed a great evening. I hope you all have marked your calendar for Wednesday, January 14, 2015. The 2015 Gala is shaping up nicely and our keynote speaker is Patrick Mavros, a hunter and silversmith from Zimbabwe. I think you will enjoy his sense of humor and speech. We had a very fine response last year to Terry Bradshaw, and I know Patrick will be equally as entertaining. Please remember to go to the Weatherby Foundation website to purchase your dinner tickets and book your hotel room! I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dallas Safari Club for all their help and support in our first year in the Dallas Community. Also, I would like to thank Cass and her wonderful staff at Complete Business Solutions for all their hard work and dedication to the Weatherby Foundation. A very special thank you, too, goes to Lacy Harber, who has so generously donated to the Foundation this year, as well as to Barbara Sackman for her efforts with décor, solicitations for the auction items, and making this a truly very special evening for Alain Smith. It goes without saying that Alain’s video was a little unconventional, but all said and done we had a good laugh with him in his “caveman” act. We are also very appreciative of all of our generous auction donors and corporate sponsors. Without you there would be no Gala. Thank you for all of your support. I would like to extend congratulations to our six 2014 Weatherby finalists: Ken Barr, Craig Boddington, Larry Higgins, Pepe Madrazo, Barbara Sackman, and a special congrats to our first Female Winner – Renee Snider! Also, we are very grateful to the entire selection committee, chaired by Dr. Bob Speegle, for doing a terrific job! Looking forward to this coming year, Tony Gioffre is presently working on getting some major sponsorships in place for the event. All have agreed this is much needed, and we have produced a video for this purpose. If you know of anyone who would like to be a sponsor, we would be very happy to forward a copy of the video for presentation. Our goal is to get a dozen or so major sponsors and thereby take some of the pressure off the auctions, giving us more time to socialize during the evening. I am pleased to announce that Lori Clem has graciously volunteered to work on the live and silent auctions for next year’s event. We know with her knowledge, experience, and flair the auctions will be fantastic! I regret to inform you that Bruce Keller has resigned due to personal reasons, and we have accepted his resignation. We would like to thank him for all his hard work and dedication to the Executive and Selection Committees, and wish him all the best! We at the Foundation are looking forward to another fine year and our Gala Event in 2015. Good Hunting & Good Health, Alan Sackman President Weatherby Award 2014 Finalists (in alphabetical order) Kenneth Barr, California Craig Boddington, California Larry Higgins, Michigan Pepe Madrazo, Spain Barbara Sackman, New York Renee Snider, California 2 Weatherby Foundation International Hunting and Conservation Award Dinner Wednesday, January 14, 2015 • Omni Hotel • Dallas, Texas Here is a concise breakdown of all the details you’ll need to know in order to be a part of the 58th annual event: Location: Once again, WFI is pairing with Dallas Safari Club’s annual meeting, and so the Gala will be held at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Registration: There are two ways to purchase dinner tickets for our 2015 Award Dinner, after which you can reserve your hotel room: either online at www.weatherbyfoundation.com/2015-weatherbyaward-dinner (click on the text that reads Click Here for Dinner Reservations) or by phone at 866.934.3976 or 480.209.1561. You may purchase either single tickets or tables of up to 10 seats. Individual tickets are $250. You may also choose to purchase a Grande or Premiere Table for $5,000 or $10,000, respectively. With a Grande Table, the purchaser is entitled to preferred seating, table signage, and recognition in the evening’s program. With a Premiere Table, the purchaser receives front-row seating, table signage, recognition in the evening’s program, and recognition from the podium. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tickets and preferred seating are limited, so be sure to purchase your tables early! Questions: If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us by email at [email protected] or by phone at 866.934.3976 or 480.209.1561. Guest Speaker: Patrick Mavros As a fourth-generation Zimbabwean, Patrick Mavros is most at home in the African bush. When asked what he does, he will tell you that he has been “a soldier, a baker, a candle-stick maker”, and this is all true, but what people notice most is his huge charisma and powerful personality, which is vivid and present in all his pieces. He is a great storyteller, with the ability to bring the drama and magic of Africa alive. His idiosyncratic aesthetic has won him close friends and customers from all over the world, and from all walks of life, including HM the King of Spain, the author J.K Rowling, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, numerous leaders of nations and stars of Hollywood. He founded his business in 1979, after making a pair of ivory earrings for his wife, Catja, which were greatly admired by her friends. Since then, he has created a number of signature pieces (including his iconic sterling silver Crocodile Belt Buckle, and the silver Elephant Hair Bangle) and some of the most extraordinary silver table sculptures from Africa, drawing inspiration from the landscape, flora and fauna that surrounds him. Although he commands considerable respect from collectors worldwide, he continues to keep a close personal involvement in the concept, creation and sale of his work. Every single customer is important to him, and his hands-on involvement in his business never flags. Patrick and Catja have 4 sons, all of whom grew up in a young boys’ paradise, hunting, fishing and exploring the bush just as their father did before them, developing the same passion for nature and African wildlife. All of them are now involved in the business, contributing to the design, manufacture, marketing, and management of the company. Mavros is a tireless ambassador for Africa, passionate about his native Zimbabwe and the people of his homeland. He has been responsible for bringing a number of high-profile personalities to Zimbabwe and is Africa’s most internationally famous artist. Today, Patrick Mavros has shops in Harare, London, Mauritius and Nairobi and is Africa’s best-known luxury brand. 3 The Fight Over Wolf Management O n Thursday, July 10, 2014, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled in favor of sportsmen and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on a long-running lawsuit over the use of dogs in the state’s wolf hunt. In January 2013, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) Foundation and partners prevailed when Dane County Circuit Court Judge Peter Anderson issued a ruling that paved the way for wolf hunting with dogs. Unhappy with the outcome, a coalition of Wisconsin humane societies and other plaintiffs appealed the ruling. While the 2013 decision was positive for sportsmen overall, it did raise concerns by declaring the DNR’s rules for training dogs to hunt wolves invalid. In early July, the Court of Appeals issued its ruling, stating that not only are dogs allowed in the wolf hunt, but that hunters could also train their dogs to hunt wolves. “This is a clear and decisive victory for sportsmen and the wildlife management process,” said Nick Pinizzotto, USSA president and CEO. “We’re extremely pleased the Appeals court sided with sportsmen and will allow hunters to train their dogs to hunt wolves. This sets an important precedent acknowledging that pre-existing rights to hunt and fish should continue unless those rights are specifically limited by laws or regulations.” Joining the USSA Foundation in support of the Wisconsin DNR was Safari Club International, the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and United Sportsmen of Wisconsin. Although successful in Wisconsin, USSA Foundation’s legal efforts continue to be focused on the fight over removing Western Great Lakes wolves from Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. Despite wolves in the region having exceeded their population targets, anti-hunting forces are intent that wolves remain listed as ‘endangered.’ This issue has little to do with the number of wolves and a lot to do with the possibilities of wolf hunting seasons, which are unacceptable to the anti’s under any circumstance. In this case, wolves are simply symbolic of how the animal rights lobby views the ESA. They see the ESA as a means to protect a species in perpetuity. They see it as a vehicle to shut down hunting, in spite of a species’ actual population status. Visit the new USSA website at www. ussportsmen.org to stay up to date on issues such as the battle for wolf management and more that are affecting sportsmen across the country. 4 5 What a Great Night in Dallas! W By J. aLain Smith hat a great night it was in Dallas! The new venue with Dallas Safari Club could not have worked out better. With attendance at over 500 people, a super speaker in Terry Bradshaw, and a room decorated with panache by the volunteers lead by Barbara Sackman, the whole event turned out to be a first class affair. What an honor it was to be on the same stage as Craig Boddington and Terry Bradshaw, two of my heroes who made the evening really special. The lovely Miss Shelley Mason put on an after party that had the crowd still talking about it a week later. It truly is a special evening when you are given the most prestigious award there is in the hunting world for doing something you really love to do. I suppose the reality is no one will ever win the award who does not feel the same 2015 way because it is a very difficult task doing what it takes to win it, what with year after year traveling constantly and being away from home. I’m not done hunting and feel lucky that I get to keep hunting hard with my TV show and I am blessed to be able to do it. I am really excited about the direction Weatherby is heading in and look forward to seeing you all in Dallas once again soon! PA C K y O u r TRUNKS. GREATEST HUNTERS CONVENTION ON THE PLANET™ IS COMING SOON! JANUARY 15 -18, 2015 DALLAS CONVENTION CENTER For more information, visit our website www.biggame.org ©Dallas Safari Club 2014 6 Welcoming Women Who Hunt By Craig Boddington This is a very special year for the Weatherby hunter can’t climb. But it isn’t all roses out there. In Hunting and Conservation Award as we congratulate recent weeks we have seen incredibly vicious attacks Renee Snider as the newest member of that most on female hunters. Teenage hunter Kendall Jones elite club of winners. She is, of course, the first went on safari with her parents, posted some photos woman to win this most prestigious and challenging on social media, and got slammed with thousands of honor. She is not the first woman to effectively negative comments…including, amazingly, dozens of compete. Many of us will remember that Natalie death threats. Belgian teenager Axelle Despiegelaere Eckel was the first woman to be a nominee, and (pictured below) did exactly the same and got slammed in recent years Barbara Sackman has also been a nearly as badly…except that her few minutes of fame nominee. But as I cost her a modeling know better than contract with L’Oreal. most, being nominated These are not and winning are in the first instances of a different order of widespread attacks magnitude. Hunting against huntresses. has always been a A year ago outdoor male-dominated TV host Melissa activity, so Renee Bachman posted Snider has broken photos with a lion new ground, and she had taken. The her victory is truly a outrage against her landmark achievement included a petition to not only for her, but ban her from entering for our sport. South Africa. To a The announcement lesser degree I’ve seen comes at a very similar attacks against interesting time. For some years both the hunting and my wife and two daughters. While this is both sad shooting public and America’s wildlife professionals and discouraging, I find it interesting because, while have lamented a slow decline in participation in the this level of irrational outrage seems common with shooting sports. The most recent surveys conducted women who hunt and become visible, we rarely see it by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USF&W) and the with male hunters. National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) suggest As I’ve written elsewhere, I don’t think this is that this has been turned around. Per the NSSF, random. I believe the anti-hunters have a network acceptance of hunting by the general public is now that enables a rapid and viral response, and clearly at an all-time recorded high of 79 percent. USF&W’s they are targeting female hunters. Perhaps this is latest (2011) survey indicates an increase in hunter because they view them as “soft targets” (obviously participation of 9 percent, not only a whopping gain, they don’t know Renee Snider!)…or perhaps it’s but the first increase in more than 20 years. While we because the fact that more and more women joining all have as a mission the education and recruitment our ranks scares the hell out of them. There is really of young hunters, all authorities agree that the major little we can do to combat the genuine rabid antireason for the increase is women, by far the fastesthunters. They believe what they believe, and truth is growing segment. unlikely to change their minds. Women are increasingly visible in all arenas: Using buzzwords such as “endangered” they hunting camps, ranges, shooting schools, competitive do manage to drag along some number of wellevents, you name it. And of course Renee Snider has intentioned non-hunters. They also use out-and-out long proven that there are no mountains a female (Continued on page 9) 7 New Board Members Jay E. Link Hunting locally and internationally has been a way of life since early childhood for Jay. Northwestern Wisconsin is where Jay learned to hunt, as well as where he started the SCI Lake Superior Chapter. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in Business, Jay co-founded the Link Groups of beef jerky companies. Hundreds of business and hunting trips have taken Jay to all corners of the globe in pursuit of business and hunting trophies. Jay’s passion to get young people involved in hunting is a cornerstone for his extensive involvement with SCI. Jay hunts extensively with his two daughters and two sons and has entered over 245 trophies in the record books. Jay is currently serving as SCI Regional Representative and RR Liaison to the SCI Executive Committee. Jay is a Hunter Legacy 100 Member, and a Life Member of SCI, NRA, Ovis/Grand Slam, Wild Sheep Foundation, Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, Boone & Crocket, National Trappers Association, Whitetails Unlimited, North American Hunt Club, AOPHA, Seaplane Pilots Association, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Jay is a Past President of the SCI Lake Superior Chapter and has served on the SCI board for the past 14 years. Jay has been a member of SCI for the past 24 years and has not missed the Annual Fundraiser in Nevada in 20 years. Lacy Harber Lacy Harber is a businessman with diversified holdings and interests. Lacy and his wife and partner of 65 years, Dorothy, work side by side and manage their companies together. They reside in Denison, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Lacy was born in Abilene, Texas, and was attending Abilene Christian University when his job with G & L Fishing Tool Company sent him to manage the Rocky Mountain divisions in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. He eventually bought the company, and it became the largest private oil field retrieval tool company in America. Lacy served on the board of a local bank in Denison, Texas. He eventually purchased it in 1991, expanding it to 32 branches and locations throughout Texas. He presently owns the largest, independent bank owned by one family: American Bank of Texas, with assets of $2.2 billion. Having always been active in real estate (including ranches in South Africa, Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma), Lacy is currently developing the formerlyowned Wayne Newton 40-acre estate, The Casa de Shenandoah, now renamed Sunset Spring Ranch. He is also presently developing 32 acres in Malibu, California. Lacy has been a hunter all his life. He started young with a .22 and a shotgun for rabbits and birds in West Texas. Moving from place to place in the oil fields of the Rocky Mountains, he discovered the world of elk, deer, bear, and all the other species there. He and Dorothy went on an African safari in 1985, and have since traveled all over the globe. He has taken all the species he sought, most of them with a bow. They just completed their 56th safari in June 2014. Lacy & Dorothy are proud of their family, all of whom are hunters. They have one son, one grandson, and just welcomed a great granddaughter. She is the latest generation of the Harber Hunting Family. Lacy promotes hunting wherever he travels, and is extremely proud of the legacy he and Dorothy have built in their Harber Wildlife Museum, located in Sherman, Texas. They are expanding it to twice the current size in the next six months. The Museum perpetuates and promotes the world of hunting and conservation. Byron Sadler Byron has hunted on all six continents, hunting in Africa 24 times, Asia 11 times, Europe four times, the Arctic two times, South America one time, the South Pacific two times and North America – including Mexico, Canada, British Columbia, and Alaska – too many times to count. He was the third bowhunter to receive Safari Club International’s World Hunting Award Ring in 2008 and the second bowhunter to receive SCI’s World Conservation and Hunting Award in 2010. He was the Houston Safari Club Outstanding Hunter of the Year 8 New Board Members in 2002 and in 2008 Houston Safari Club introduced a new award titled the Byron G. Sadler International Bowhunting Award and Byron was the first recipient. Byron was President, CEO and founder of Industrial Specialists, L.L.C. – a specialty contractor for the petrochemical and refinery industry. He started the business in 1976 and built the company to one of the largest on the Gulf Coast, doing over $200,000,000.00 in sales in 2006. He sold the company to his employees by setting up an ESOP and has retired to run his exotic game and cattle ranch. Byron is currently the Co-Chair of the Combat Marine Outdoors Advisory Committee, is serving as a Director for the Hunter Legacy 100 Fund, is on the advisory board for SCIF and is on the board of the Hunter Proud Foundation. He served on the Board of The Houston Safari Club as a Director and is currently a Director on the Weatherby Board. Byron is a Life Member of SCI, Houston Safari Club, Dallas Safari Club, NRA, SCI Houston Chapter, Texas Hill Country Chapter of SCI, Ovis/Grand Slam, Wild Sheep Foundation, Exotic Wildlife Association, Texas Wildlife Association, and Texas Bighorn Society. He is also a member of Shikar Safari Club International, the Alamo Chapter of SCI, and a founding member of The Hunter Legacy 100 Fund. Byron served in the Army’s 49th Armored Division, and is a Mason with the Velasco Lodge 757. He is a 32nd degree member of El Mina Shriners, Galveston Court, and a member of the Royal Order of Jesters, Galveston Court #097. Byron and his wife Sandra now reside on the Two Dot Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Welcoming Women Who Hunt (Cont’d from page 7) lies. Kendall Jones’ leopard was widely identified as an “endangered cheetah.” A rhino she darted for veterinarian necessity was identified as being killed. The only antidote we have is truth…and, hopefully, some degree of sensitivity regarding what we put out there that might be viewed by the non-hunting public (and interpreted based on limited knowledge). With women hunters, however, there’s one more thing that I find even more disturbing than attacks by anti-hunters: a surprising percentage of the negative response comes from male hunters. To some extent this is based on ignorance. The average American whitetail hunter – of which there are some 10 million – does not understand the conservation necessity and economic impact of hunting high-profile animals such as lions and elephants. Nor do they understand that there are worlds of differences between the terms “threatened” and “endangered,” or that any given animal may be endangered in one area, but grossly overpopulated in another. It’s a slow process that will probably never be concluded, but truth and education are the tools. To another extent, however, many of we male hunters welcome female hunters into our midst only to a point. When women become too successful in an endeavor that we consider our own province some of us get jealous. And a few of us get downright nasty. This has to stop. Ever since the dawn of time a few women have always proven that they are equally skilled, successful, and determined hunters. And this has always made a few men uncomfortable. Today more women than ever are hunting successfully and enjoying it just as much as their male counterparts. They are the salvation of our sport, and we men need to welcome them without limits and without reservations. The anti-hunters are the real enemy, and we as hunters have to learn to stick together. Forget about the good old boys’ club…those days are over! Hunting Ban Lifted On 21 August 2014, Zambian Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata announced that the ban on hunting, which was put in place in January 2013, had been lifted. Hunting organizations asserted that having a ban on hunting was detrimental to Zambia’s conservation needs, and so this decision has been roundly praised. Since Zambia is attempting to diversify its economy, the government hopes that reintroducing regulated hunting across the country will stimulate the economy while at the same time encourage conservation of its wildlife. However, this ban reversal comes with a caveat. Zambia holds that the ban on cat hunting will remain until a lion population survey (currently assisted by a grant to the Zambia Lion Project by SCI Foundation) is complete. – information gathered from huntforever.org 9 Board Member Spotlights Gerald L. Warnock, M.D. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and educated in public schools, Dr. Warnock attended Reed College in Portland, as well as the University of Oregon Medical School, graduating in 1958. In his last free summer before graduation, he and a classmate decided on a “once-in-a-lifetime” safari to Kenya. He had hunted locally for Oregon game, including break, cougar, mule deer, elk, pronghorn, etc., but had never been on an out-of-state hunt or a guided hunt, nor had he ever flown on an airplane. His rifle was a second-hand Remington model 721 that he paid $85 for, chambered in 300 H&H magnum. They flew a DC6C to London, then a BOAC DC4 for a 48-hour flight to Nairobi, with stops in Rome, Benghazi, Khartoum, and Entebbe – all with the same flight crew. The Hunt exceeded all expectations, and set Gerald off on a lifelong career of trophy hunting. In 28 days, they took four elephants, five buffalo, two leopards, three lions, and two black rhinoceros, plus plains game, hunting with the legendary Bunny Allen. Get this! – the 2/1 safari charge was $1,680 each. Just before graduation, Gerald married Margaret, and she has joined him on the vast majority of his overseas trips, plus nearly all of his African trips. They recently celebrated their 56th anniversary. They have two daughters, one of whom is an avid hunter; and five grandchildren, all avid fishermen – Gerald’s secondary outdoor pastime, which he pursues primarily in the Columbia River estuary or the adjacent Pacific Ocean. Following military discharge, he completed a radiology residency. Upon completion he opened a small x-ray office in East Portland. This was the time of extremely rapid development of imaging techniques, and as they came online Dr. Warnock was able to incorporate them into his one-man practice, which evolved into a group of multimodality imaging centers – EPIC IMAGING P.C. – offering ultrasound, CT scanning, MRI scanning, PET scanning, digital mammography, and other services. In his 40s, at the urging of an old friend – a one-time professional bicycle racer, Dr. Warnock began jogging and before long ran his first marathon, which was sort of like his first safari in that it launched him into a tenyear running career, during which he competed heavily in road races of all distances, including several ultramarathons and three races of one hundred miles or more. In those years, he had no problem keeping up with the guide on the sheep mountain. Dr. Warnock’s Weatherby trophy reads 297 species. Like most past Weatherby winners, Dr. Warnock has not stopped hunting since he won the Award, and has added substantially to his species count in the 20-year interim. He has been proud to serve on the Weatherby Board of Directors for that same 20-year period, and is currently one of the longest tenured non-permanent Directors. Wayne R. LaPierre Executive Vice President, Chief Executive Officer, National Rifle Association Wayne LaPierre has served as the executive vice president and chief executive officer of the National Rifle Association of America since 1991 and has led the NRA through a period of unprecedented membership growth and political clout in defense of our Second Amendment rights. And that strength has been put to the good benefit of all Americans who care about our freedom and our heritage of hunting and wildlife conservation. As a skilled hunter, from Chesapeake waterfowl to African Cape buffalo, Wayne understands the key role hunters play in wildlife conservation. Over the years, he has led NRA efforts to preserve the integrity of the Pittman-Robertson Act, spearheaded NRA programs for young shooters and hunters, and fought for the access of sportsmen and women – including the disabled – to public lands for hunting. To promote the enjoyment of the shooting sports and the fun of safe firearms use, Wayne launched NRA Sports. Hundreds of thousands of new shooters and gun owners have been reached through the program, and today, more people take part in the shooting sports than those who fish, golf or play soccer. Wayne believes that all freedoms are connected and has fought to preserve the entire fabric of our constitutional liberties, especially those safeguarded by the First Amendment as well as the Second. Backed by more than 5 million active members, Wayne continues to fight to preserve all of our rights as the leader of freedom’s largest, most potent and devoted voluntary organization. 10 Board of Directors World Headquarters 7834 South Lakeshore Drive Tempe, AZ 85284 866.934.3976 or 480.209.1561 www.weatherbyfoundation.com [email protected] Board Members: President: Alan Sackman First Vice President: Renee Snider Vice President: Dr. Ralph Cunningham Vice President: Greg Gibson Secretary/Treasurer: Bitsy Kelley Dennis Anderson Rex Baker Craig Boddington Steve Chancellor Al Cito Tony Gioffre Tom Hammond Lacy Harber Gary Ingersoll Wayne LaPierre Dr. Peter Larsen Jay Link Ricardo Longoria Jimmie Rosenbruch Byron Sadler J. Alain Smith Dr. Robert Speegle Dr. Gerald Warnock Ed Weatherby Mahlon White Jack Beal Jim Blankenbaker Natalie Eckel Dorothy Harber Andy Oldfield, Emeritus Nick Pinizzotto, USSA Federico Sada Executive Administrator: 501(c)(3) 95-4189071 By rEX BaKEr Weatherby Foundation International is going through some big changes: first, the Foundation is reincorporating in Texas. Let’s just say Texas is a more hunting-friendly state than California. Additionally, The Weatherby Award, Inc. has been incorporated in Texas and is IRS-approved as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Its purpose is to perpetuate and enhance the stature of the Weatherby Award and to create and maintain the Weatherby Museum, located in St. George, Utah. Of equal importance, the Weatherby Award Ballot (what each applicant for the award must complete) has had major changes. The Master List no longer contains any trophies that were not collected wild and free; and with the exception of South Pacific, South America, and Europe, includes very few non-indigenous species. These are now listed and totaled in such a manner as to clearly identify that the species were collected on an estate or game ranch or were collected as a result of game farming. Specie totals on the Master List have dropped, with one outstanding exception, from the mid 300s to the 280s. The Recap Sheet for the Ballot separates the species in such a manner that each member of the Selection Committee – all past award winners – can identify wild and free, indigenous species from Estate, and non-indigenous species by continent. So far the feedback from the applicants and Selection Committee has been favorable; time will tell, as the Ballot is a work in process. 5 Reasons Why Hunting is Conservation Honorary Members: Cass Olmstead Weatherby Foundation Going Through Changes 1. Avid hunter Theodore Roosevelt created our national forests and grasslands and forever protected 230 million acres for wildlife and the public to use and enjoy. 2. In 1900, only 500,000 whitetails remained. Thanks to conservation work spearheaded by hunters, today there are more than 32 million. 3. As society loses its ties to wildlife and conservation, the bonds with nature formed by hunting are the greatest hope for creating the next generation of true conservationists. 4. Hunting supports 680,000 jobs, from game wardens to waitresses, biologists to motel clerks. 5. Altogether, hunters pay more than $1.6 billion a year for conservation programs. No one gives more! (*information culled from www.rmef.org) Weatherby Foundation International’s Mission Statement: To educate youth and the non-hunting public on the beneficial role of ethical sport hunting and its contribution to wildlife conservation. 11