EDGEFIELD, S.C. — In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt convened the Governors' Conference on Conservation, which was the beginning of the conservation movement in the United States as we know it today. Last week, the National Wild Turkey Federation was represented at the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy by three national board of directors members, four state chapter presidents and senior staff.
"This conference marked the first time in 100 years that a sitting president convened a meeting to address the challenges facing conservation and our hunting heritage, and it was only the third time that a nationwide wildlife policy was considered," said James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., NWTF's senior vice president of conservation programs. "We discussed a lot of issues that will be necessary to ensure sustainable wildlife populations and promote our nation's hunting heritage."
Representing NWTF during the conference were Peggy Anne Vallery, NWTF president; Vince Rosdahl, NWTF Treasurer; Dave Mahlke, National Board of Directors member; Jon Leonard, Utah State Chapter president; Jon Pries, Pennsylvania State Chapter president; Bob Linder, Texas State Chapter president; Mike Evans, Oklahoma State Chapter president; and James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., NWTF's senior vice president of conservation programs.
During the conference, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Jim Connaughton addressed key issues with more than 500 attendees representing wildlife conservation and hunting organizations, the outdoor industry, landowners, and local, state, tribal and federal resource managers.
During his remarks, Vice President Cheney commended the NWTF and other sportsmen's groups for their work "promoting a culture of conservation that will be sustained by our children and our grandchildren."
"The NWTF is uniquely suited to play a pivotal role in this renewed commitment," said NWTF President Peggy Anne Vallery. "Our North American Wild Turkey Management Plan, which addresses critical issues for wild turkeys and a multitude of other game and non-game species, is a model for the nation on 21st century wildlife management. Our local network of staff and volunteers play a vital role in disseminating information to the public on habitat management, conservation and creating new hunting opportunities."
The Wild Turkey Management Plan is designed to ensure the continued success of the wild turkey, and improve habitat for a multitude of wildlife and plant species while providing more opportunities and access for North America's hunters.
During the last year, a variety of topics have been developed through a collaborative process between the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture as well as the Sporting Conservation Council. Prior to the conference an 83-page white paper was drafted to serve as the foundation of the discussions at the conference.
Collectively the problems addressed are the largest threat to private property rights and hunting rights sportsmen and landowners have ever faced. Now, the White House Council on Environmental Quality will produce a 10-year Conservation plan based on the results gathered from the conference.
"It was truly a great experience to be with so many people who have a real interest in securing the future of wildlife and our hunting heritage," said Dave Mahlke, NWTF board of directors member. "Everyone there was very open, positive and enthused about protecting the future of hunting and the North American model of wildlife conservation."
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced during the conference that the United States Department of Agriculture would fully implement President George W. Bush's directive to offer incentives to farmers and ranchers for opening their land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program to the public for hunting, fishing, bird watching and other recreational activities.
The goal of the incentive, Schafer said, is to double public access by providing up to 7 million acres of CRP land for public access during the next five years in participating states. The CRP public access incentive permits partnerships with existing state public access programs to mark tracts of land as publicly accessible and publish maps for hunters and recreation enthusiasts.
The incentive is consistent with current state public access incentives and is designed to enhance the ability of state wildlife agencies to use hunting seasons as a wildlife management tool.
"It's great that an American president has the foresight and wisdom to unite so many groups of conservationists, including sportsmen's groups such as NWTF, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and so many others in a conference that will develop a national conservation plan for the next 10 years," said NWTF Treasurer Vince Rosdahl. "I could tell by speaking with leaders in other conservation organizations that everyone at the meeting was interested in furthering the conservation ethic and working hard to conserve our resources."