Please Help Pass the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act
It is time to get on the phone and contact your state representatives and congress persons. The signatures for this citizen initiated law were certified this week and if this act is approved by the State legislature, sound wildlife management practices will be preserved in Michigan and outside interest will be sent a strong message about pushing their agendas in our State. I have copied a informational release below with background, and contact information. If you are inclined to send a letter please make sure that you personalize it and don't just copy and paste the form letter below. Let's do our part and help lay this thing to rest!
Lansing, MI - In June, Safari Club International’s (SCI) Michigan Chapters worked in conjunction with the Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management (CPWM) to submit over 374,000 signatures to the Michigan Secretary of State in support of the ballot committee sponsoring a citizen-initiated law called the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act (SFWCA). Every citizen who signed the petition did so with the expectation that the legislature would vote on this Act.
The signatures are expected to be certified by the State Board of Canvassers the week of July 21st. Once they are certified, the legislature will have a 40 day window to vote on the Act. This means that Wednesday, August 13th is the FIRST and possibly ONLY session day where this vote can take place. The Michigan legislature will be in session this Wednesday, July 16th so make the extra effort to contact your elected official and tell them you support SFWCA. Please ask all Michigan hunters that you know to also contact the legislature to let them know they support SFWCA as well. Only with your sustained effort to contact legislators will we be successful!
It is imperative that ALL Michigan hunters contact as many state legislators as possible BEGINNING WEDNESDAY, JULY 16th to ask them to support sound scientific management by supporting the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act on August 13th
Out-of-state radical anti-hunting groups, led by the Humane Society of the United States, have launched two referendum drives in Michigan seeking to overrule Michigan’s wildlife biologists on game management decisions. With their deep pockets, they know that once they get on a statewide ballot, it’s just a matter of spending millions of dollars in misleading advertising. They are currently trying the same strategy in Maine, just as they tried it here in 1996 and in 2006. Without this citizen-initiated legislation, fish and game decisions made by our state’s professional wildlife biologists will be subject to endless expensive referendums run by out-of-state activists.
The bipartisan Natural Resources Commission was created in 1922 to separate conservation from politics. In 1996, the people of Michigan voted to give the NRC exclusive authority to issue game orders and required that it use sound science. This initiative makes sure that fish and game decisions can be made by the only public body in Michigan required by the people to use sound science: the Natural Resources Commission.
The Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act would
- Ensure that decisions affecting the taking of fish and game are made using principles of sound scientific fish and wildlife management;
- Provide for free hunting, fishing and trapping licenses for active members of the military, and;
- Provide appropriations for fisheries management activities within Michigan necessary for rapid response, prevention, control and/or elimination of aquatic invasive species, including Asian carp.
Senior Leadership that ALL Michigan Hunters are Encouraged to Call:
Senator Randy Richardville: 17th District
SenRRichardville@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-3543
Senator Arlan Meekhof: 30th District
SenAMeekhof@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-6920
Representative Jase Bolger: 63rd District
JaseBolger@house.mi.gov or (517)373-1787
Representative Jim Stamas: 98th District
jimstamas@house.mi.gov or (517) 370-1791
Senate Republicans that ALL Michigan Hunters are Encouraged to Call:
Patrick Colbeck: 7th District
SenPColbeck@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-7350.
Judy Emmons: 33rd District
senjemmons@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-3760.
Tanya Schuitmaker: 20th District
sentschuitmaker@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-0793.
Roger Kahn: 32nd District
SenRKahn@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-1760.
Mike Nofs: 19th District
SenMNofs@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-2426.
Jim Marleau: 12th District
SenJMarleau@senate.michigan.gov or (248) 724-2442.
Senate Democrats that ALL Michigan Hunters are Encouraged to Call:
Jim Ananich: 27th District
SenJAnanich@senate.michigan.gov or (517) 373-0142.
House Republicans that ALL Michigan Hunters are Encouraged to Call:
Kevin Cotter: 99th District
kevincotter@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5754
Mike Callton: 87th District
mikecallton@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5670
Anthony Forlini: 24th District
anthonyforlini@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5746
Frank Foster: 107th District
FrankFoster@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-2629
Ben Glardon: 85th District
benglardon@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5672
Robert Genetski: 80th District
robertgenetski@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-0836
Kurt Heise: 20th District
kurtheise@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5941
Tom Hooker: 77th District
tomhooker@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-2277
Martin Howrylak: 41st District
martinhowrylak@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-1923
Eileen Kowall: 44th District
eileenkowall@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-2616
Jeff Farrington: 30th District
jefffarrington@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-7768
Ken Kurtz: 58th District
kenkurtz@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-1794
Matt Lori: 59th District
mattlori@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5771
Tom McMillin: 45th District
tommcmillin@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-1773
Paul Muxlow: 83rd District
paulmuxlow@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5674
Earl Poleski: 64th District
earlpoleski@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5694
Pat Somerville: 23rd District
patsomerville@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-5751
Gail Haines: 43rd District
GailHaines@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-0615
House Democrats that ALL Michigan Hunters are Encouraged to Call:
Terry Brown: 84th District
terrybrown@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-0476
Charles Brunner: 96th District
charlesbrunner@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-0158
Tom Cochran: 67th District
tomcochran@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-0587
Fred Durhal: 5th District
freddurhal@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-0844
Pam Faris: 48th District
pamfaris@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-7557
Stacey Erwin Oakes: 95th District
StacyErwinOakes@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-0152
Harvey Santana: 9th District
harveysantana@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-6990
Charles Smiley: 50th District
charlessmiley@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-3906
Thomas Stallworth: 7th District
thomasstallworth@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-2276
Woodrow Stanley: 34th District
woodrowstanley@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-8808
Adam Zemke: 55th District
adamzemke@house.mi.gov or (517) 373-1792
Find your own personal Legislator
To find you Representative click: Michigan House of Representatives or visit http://house.michigan.gov/mhrpublic/
To find your Michigan Senator click: Michigan Senate or visit http://www.senate.michigan.gov/fysbyaddress.html
Template email to send
Dear Representative/Senator (insert name here).
I am one of the 374,000 Michiganders to have signed the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act (SFWCA), and I am also one of your constituents. Today I urge your support for the SFWCA and to come to Lansing on August 13th for a vote on the Act!
Michigan is currently being attacked by out-of-state radical anti-hunting groups, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). They are seeking to take away our ability to regulate fish & game decisions with sound science. HSUS has pledged to go state by state across the country to eliminate hunting. Michigan is only one of their current targets; Maine is experiencing the same difficulty with them as we speak.
That is why I am urging you to support the Scientific Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act on August 13th. We must ensure Michigan’s game and fish decisions are made using sound science, thus preserving our outdoor heritage for generations to come.
Sincerely,
(Insert Name)
(Insert Address)
DONATE NOW TO HELP THE CAUSE
If you would like to help Michigan hunters fight dollar for dollar against outside anti-hunting organizations, please consider making a donation today at
http://www.citizenswildlife.com/donate/. 100% of your donation will go to the fight in Michigan.
If you wish to send a check, please send it to the following address:
Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management
P.O. Box 11082
Lansing, MI 48