Michigan House Bill 5078 will require the appointment of two individuals to the State Wildlife Council that belong to a nonprofit organization that primarily promotes non-consumptive wildlife use, such as the Humane Society of the United States Wildlife Land Trust. The bill also adds two additional members by requiring a representative from a tribal government and a representative with a master’s degree in a “wildlife related field.” The bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation where it awaits its first hearing.
Take Action Today! Michigan members should contact their state representative and urge them to oppose House Bill 5078. Members can find their legislators by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
Currently, the State Wildlife Council is made up of eight individuals who understand the hunting, fishing and trapping communities. Four individuals must purchase hunting or fishing licenses on a regular basis, one individual must represent a business substantially impacted by hunting and fishing, one individual must represent agriculture, one individual must have a media background and one individual must represent rural areas impacted by hunting and fishing.
This bill would expand the council to 12 members and could include up to four new members who oppose hunting, fishing and trapping. Changing the makeup of state wildlife councils is a tactic used by anti-hunting groups when they are unable to push their radical agendas through the legislative process; they focus their energy on undermining the role sportsmen play in wildlife-agency rulemaking.
“The Michigan Wildlife Council should be made up of Michiganders who fund wildlife conservation efforts in the state,” said Jacob Hupp, associate director of state services at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Including members of non-consumptive groups, such as the anti-hunting HSUS Wildlife Land Trust, will not only dilute the voice and role sportsmen play in preserving wildlife in the state, it will allow anti-hunting groups an official seat at the table to end all forms of hunting fishing and trapping.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.