bowhunter4life Report post Posted February 27, 2012 Open Letter to the AZ State NWTF Membership Fellow Members, During the last board meeting of the AZ State Chapter of the NWTF the board of directors voted to oppose HB2072. The board also voted to send a letter to House Representative Jerry Weirs, the sponsor of the bill, explaining the reason for our opposition. Our opposition was based on a number of problems we found with the legislation. Our strongest objection was that the bill intended to completely bypass the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and the process for allocating big game tags. The legislation also directed the earnings, from the sale of the tags, away from the AZ Game and Fish Dept. with sole discretion of expenditure going to the organization that was awarded the big game tags. The legislation as written would appear to benefit a single organization. The only organization that fits the structure of this legislation is The AZ Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation. If not a member of this organization you, and many of the residents of Arizona, may not see a benefit from these game tag sales. We view this to be a misappropriation of the state’s wildlife resources. This bill, HB2072, was pulled from the committee hearing before it could be presented. We believe this was due to the outcry of sportsmen’s organizations from around the state. Subsequent to that action the AZ Sportsmen for Wildlife has sent a letter to sportsmen around the state extolling the virtues of this legislation. It appears as if they may try to introduce this proposed legislation again. This letter contains misinformation concerning the AZ Game and Fish Dept. and implies that they are to blame for the decline of AZ game species as well as the decline in hunter participation. The AZ State Chapter of the NWTF is a member of the Wildlife Conservation Council. The WCC is a committee of the AZ Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation. The AZ Sportsmen for Wildlife has repeatedly implied that they speak for the members of these organizations. They do not speak for the AZ State Chapter of the NWTF. It should also be understood that the AZ State Chapter does not support this proposed legislation and furthermore does not condone the method and tactics with which this legislation was brought forth. In order to maintain our integrity and preserve the relationship that we enjoy with the AZ Game and Fish Department and the Arizona sportsmen’s community we have elected to resign from the Wildlife Conservation Council and separate ourselves form the actions and opinions of the AZ Sportsmen for Wildlife. Respectfully, Board of Directors AZ. State Chapter of the NWTF. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedGoat Report post Posted February 27, 2012 Kudoos to the NWTF for standing up for Arizona Sportsmen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
