The Board of Directors of the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports is actively searching for a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to coordinate and conduct the select advisory group's business,? reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

The Council was established recently to improve funding for state fish and wildlife agencies' efforts to recruit and retain hunters and recreational shooters . It will be comprised of 28 leaders from non-governmental organizations, state agencies, and the hunting and shooting sports industry. The Council's mission is to establish increased funding through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson or P-R) Program to recruit and retain hunters and recreational shooters and to educate the public about the conservation achievements attributable to these sportsmen and women. Guiding principles have been established that would safeguard the P-R legacy by maintaining no net loss of revenues for state agencies, generating additional funds for states to be used for recruitment and retention, providing additional access and facilities for hunting and shooting, and ensure that funding provided to states for recruitment and retention is spent on efficient and effective programs.

The CEO will be expected to provide leadership for the Council and to represent the Council in future dealings with state and federal agencies, conservation organizations, and industry partners. Daily staff, financial and resource management, as well as, Board relations and development also will be key responsibilities of the hire.

Activities of the Council to date include: formal recognition as an IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, filing of the articles of incorporation, seating the Board of Directors, development and passage of by-laws, and production of other governance documents. The Council recognizes the complementary work performed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Industry/Agency Coalition, the American Wildlife Conservation Partners, the Hunting Heritage Action Plan, the National Shooting Sports Foundation's Task Force 20/20, and the Bush Administration's Executive Order #13443. These efforts will inform the Council of the status of recruitment and retention programs and will assist in determining future work of the Council. In addition, the Council's deliberations will be shared with the newly established Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council (reported in the September 2010 Outdoor News Bulletin). Although the Council has not agreed to any particular course of action at this time, it has discussed the possibility of expanding the hunting and shooting product categories that currently are part of the P-R excise tax portfolio. Future Council discussions will focus on a broad array of potential revenue generators that could assist state agencies to sustain hunting and shooting sports.

State fish and wildlife agencies, working in close collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have successfully developed applications for federal assistance to dedicate specific P-R funds to the national effort. This unprecedented allocation of federal assistance dollars and, in some cases state license dollars, demonstrates the state agencies commitment to a national effort aimed at recruitment and retention of hunters and shooters. To date, more than $1.5 million has been set aside to operate the Council during the next four or five years. Non-governmental organizations and hunting and shooting industry representatives may provide additional funds to support the Council.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is accepting resumes of interested individuals for the CEO position. Applicants must possess a four-year college degree. The original deadline for application was October 26, but has been extended to?December 1, 2010. The Council is anxious to select a dynamic and skilled leader to focus attention on the Council's important mission on a daily basis. Applications should be mailed to Ron Regan, President, Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, c/o Angela Nelson, 444 N. Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 725, Washington, D.C. 20001. ?Applications must include a resume, references with contact information and a statement of how the applicant would accomplish the goals of the Council. For further information on the position, you can download the job announcement in PDF format. (saw)