July 2011

The House Appropriations Committee passed a fiscal year 2012 (FY12) Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill on July 12 that included substantial cuts to agency spending and key conservation programs, as well as policy riders impacting natural resource related issues, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. After 10 hours of debate on amendments, the bill was passed on a party line vote sending it to the full U.S. House of Representatives for consideration later this month.

Overall, the bill would fund the Department of the Interior (DOI) at $9.9 billion, $720 million less...

On Sunday, July 3, cancer claimed Bill Stevens, 72, friend of conservation and friend of thousands.

For 42 years, Bill served Federal Cartridge Company of Anoka, Minnesota. He retired in 2007 from his post as Federal Premium Ammunition Manager, a capacity in which he tirelessly promoted the hunting and shooting sports and natural resource conservation. He helped pioneer the 4-H Shooting Sports Program and was instrumental in shaping the conservation outreach and spirit at Federal. Bill leveraged his energy, forever upbeat nature, enthusiasm and Federal's largess to gain...

This month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced plans to expand hunting activities at 10 national wildlife refuges in eight states, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The proposal was published in the Federal Register on July 5, and a public comment period will be open until August 4. The FWS proposal comes just weeks after the judicial system closed the books on a lawsuit filed in 2003 that aimed to stop hunting on refuges.

"For decades, the National Wildlife Refuge System has offered some of the nation's best public hunting and fishing, helping...

In response to a legislative mandate to merge the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State Parks into a new division referred to as "Colorado Parks and Wildlife," leaders of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (CDNR) have adopted an open and inclusive process to develop a transition plan, according to the Wildlife Management Institute.The approach is designed to engage employees and the public to help a department transition team develop a plan for combining the two agencies by the end of February 2012. A...

"State fish and wildlife agencies are struggling to address new and emerging conservation issues while retaining core traditional programs. Many are finding they are unable to do so adequately, and they fear loss of relevancy to society unless they are able to transform into organizations that meet changing public needs and interests. Organizational transformation is not easy." This statement highlights the contents of the recently released "Leaders' Guide" to Transformation of State Fish & Wildlife Agencies: Ensuring the Future of Conservation in a Rapidly Changing World....