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White House Wildlife Conference Set
The White House has announced dates and a location for the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The event will be held in Reno, Nevada, from October 2 to 3.
Mandated by the Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation executive order signed by President George W. Bush in August 2007, the goal of the conference is to establish a 10-year action plan to improve wildlife conservation and to boost hunting opportunity. The plan will be based on policy recommendations made by the wildlife conservation community after a series of meetings and discussions over the past year. Those recommendations have been presented to the Administration and bipartisan leaders in Congress to ensure the viability of the action plan no matter who is in the White House or controlling Congress.
There are eight primary areas that will be the core issues for the October conference: perpetuation and strengthening of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation; management of wildlife and habitat at the state, tribal and federal levels; ensuring dependable funding for wildlife conservation; perpetuation of hunter traditions through education, recruitment and retention; maintenance of access to public and private lands; coordination of oil and gas development with wildlife conservation; and climate-change impacts on wildlife. Working groups made of leading experts on these issue areas and led by members of the Sporting Conservation Council—the federal advisory committee that guides administrative policy on issues important to the hunting and conservation community—were convened to explore these topics fully and make recommendations. Each committee’s work has been summarized in white papers that outline the challenges and opportunities posed by each issue.
Specific recommendations included within the white papers are the foundation for what will become the 10-year Recreational Hunting and Wildlife Resource Conservation Plan. With an overall theme focused on the perpetuation of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, policy proposals emphasize incorporating the model into federal decision making. Also suggested is the creation of programs that better communicate the role of science in wildlife conservation as well as that convey the importance of hunting in developing a conservation ethic and commitment.
Funding is a key component that runs through the recommendations in all core areas. In particular is ensuring stable revenue streams that will guarantee funding for programs, such as conservation education, hunter recruitment and access, as well as for essential wildlife management needs. Revenue proposals include increasing the federal share of state wildlife conservation projects to stretch state license dollars farther and to direct a portion of new revenue from potential climate-change legislation towards wildlife conservation. In addition, creating new tax and financial incentives to encourage private land conservation or access easements is suggested.
Recommendations that focus on the conservation and management of wildlife species are featured through the white papers. Improving coordination between federal and state activities and establishing common population objectives that are used during all land-management planning will be essential. Sharing resources and data to deal with climate change, landscape planning and other emerging wildlife management challenges also are included.
The white papers are in final editing stages and are expected to be released by the end of the month. Information about the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy, including links to the white papers, can be found at http://www.wildlifepartners.org. (jas)
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