Michael Waddell to Chair National Hunting and Fishing Day

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Outdoor television star Michael Waddell has been selected as honorary chairman for this year’s National Hunting and Fishing Day, set for Sept. 27.

In the volunteer role, Waddell becomes the official spokesman for the annual commemoration’s key message: Conservation succeeds only because of America’s 34 million hunters and anglers. In fact, through license fees and excise taxes, hunters and anglers generate $100,000 every 30 minutes for fish, wildlife and habitat programs. Read more

Sierra Club Opposes Arizona Right To Hunt

Not much of a shocker there I’d say. The problem is the information the Sierra Club is presenting to the public about HCR2037, which is a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution that would give citizens of that state a guaranteed right to hunt. The Sierra Club is saying that a passage of this bill would remove control of wildlife management from the fish and game and put it in the hands of the legislature. But that’s not true. Read more

And What’s Wrong With The Endangered Species Act?

It’s getting worse before, if ever, it will get better. Abuse of the Endangered Species Act is at an all-time high and rising like a rocket. Something must be done! (Scroll to bottom to find links to related articles)

Can it get any worse? Millions of dollars are being spent on lawsuits aimed at preserving habitat and some species of wildlife needlessly, with no end in sight. The ESA is being used as a lethal weapon that will destroy our property rights and further sink us into economic recession. It’s out of control. Read more

2008 International Sportsmen’s Exposition Returning to University of Phoenix Stadium this March

Entire Spectrum of Outdoor Sports Covered at Arizona’s Largest Sportsmen’s Show

PHOENIX – Jan. 17, 2008 – If you’ve ever wanted to learn to cast or tie a fly, call elk like an expert or even “bone up” on the latest Dutch Oven cooking or bar-b-que techniques, the eighth annual International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE) – to be held March 7-9 at Glendale’s University of Phoenix Stadium – is the West’s premier event for everything outdoor related. Read more

National Heritage Areas Stealing Your Property And Limiting Your Rights

I have written some here at the Black Bear Blog and Blogging the Maine Outdoors about National Heritage Areas. Just last week, I wrote an article at Blogging the Maine Outdoors about a summit which also took place last week at the Sunday River Ski Resort. That summit was to discuss the economic impact of trails to Maine’s economy.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci has been pushing for more promotion of Maine’s natural resources and appears to be an advocate for the establishment of more “preserved” lands including National Heritage Areas. Part of this summit at Sunday River was to discuss the prospects of mapping and inventorying lands and waterways in order to protect them. Included in that process was to tap into federal money available to protect these lands through National Heritage Areas. Read more

Getting Invited Back

By Denny L. Vasquez

How many times have you been invited to hunt someone else’s property, such as a family farm or private lease? Or how many times have you been invited along on a nice hunting trip, say to Colorado for elk, Maine for black bear or Texas for whitetails? Now, how many times have you been invited back?

In today’s increasingly urbanized world, good hunting spots are getting harder to come by. For example, that little creek bottom where I grew up hunting squirrels is now a county park and the only recreation going on there now is the kid’s soccer and baseball games. And the old 350-acre Millsap place where I learned how to hunt deer, raccoon and rabbits is now a victim of the growing urban sprawl that is engulfing the countryside. Read more

The American Badger

Learn about the interesting habits of the American Badger from the experiences and vast knowledge of Denny L. Vasquez.

Badger Range

Scientific Classification: Read more

Does Environmental Impact Trump Border Security?

By Tom Remington

The United States is a sovereign country. To remain that way, we must control who comes and goes. The people voted that we wanted to secure our borders particularly between the U.S. and Mexico where an estimated 12 million illegal aliens have infiltrated our country through the southwest border. That’s 12 million people in this country that we know nothing about.

I’ve covered a few stories about the environmental impact being felt in border areas of the southwest. Read more