The newly announced Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council (Council) will hold its first meeting on October 4 and 5, in Washington, D.C. The Council is comprised of 18 members who represent some of the most notable national conservation organizations in the country. The Council will provide advice to the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture related to recreational hunting and shooting and wildlife conservation on federal and private lands. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar noted, "Inspired by the legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt, hunters long have taken the lead in the conservation of our nation's wildlife and its habitat ?"? The Council provides a formal and legal means to directly link our nation's hunters with the leadership of the two primary land management departments in the federal government, according to the Wildlife Management Institute.

John Tomke, Council chair and past president of Ducks Unlimited, met with Ex-Officio representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Services Agency, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to determine a work plan for the Council. The Council has been charged with providing recommendations to implement the Recreational Hunting and Wildlife Resource Conservation Plan ? A Ten Year Plan for Implementation (Plan), increasing public awareness of the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund, improving understanding of and participation in wildlife conservation and the hunting and shooting sports, and encouraging enhanced partnerships between private organizations, state and federal agencies, and tribes.

It is notable that the Council charge includes recommendations to implement the Plan which was initiated under the previous Bush administration's Executive Order 13443: Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation published in 2007. The Plan was based on the work of the Sporting Conservation Council (a Council similar to the recently established Council) and individuals from organizations which participated in the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP). There are 58 recommendations in the Plan to enhance our conservation and hunting heritage. AWCP organizations are well represented on the current Council with 10 of the 18 members affiliated with AWCP organizations. Announcement of the Council and it charter is acknowledgement that wildlife conservation is a long term endeavor that spans political control of the White House.

Numerous efforts are currently in play to address conservation and hunting heritage. The Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports met for the first time in September immediately after the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) annual meeting. This group is focused on expanding funding through the Wildlife Restoration Act. AWCP meetings and AFWA's Hunting and Shooting Sports Participation Committee provide forums for discussion about current and future recruitment and retention efforts. The Hunting Heritage Steering Committee also provides oversight of projects focused on enhancing our nation's hunting heritage. The Wildlife Management Institute is a proud participant in each of these efforts. Of course state agencies and conservation organizations employ their own efforts to reinforce the ranks of hunters and shooters. The Council should provide a formal mechanism to transmit the results of these efforts and recommendations to the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture for their consideration and implementation.