Bush pushes program for sportsmen, hunters

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Bush pushes program for sportsmen, hunters

August 18th, 2007

WASHINGTON - President Bush wants the government to look for more room for

hunters to hunt and to step up efforts to conserve places where wildlife

roam.

Bush on Friday ordered any federal agencies that manage public lands,

outdoor recreation or wildlife to "facilitate the expansion and enhancement

of hunting opportunities and the management of game species and their

habitat."

In the 2004 presidential campaign, Bush and Democratic nominee John Kerry

both courted the so-called sportsmen's vote of hunters and anglers, groups

that include both gun supporters and conservationists.

"Clearly, he's catering to a constituency, because there's no biological or

ecological justification," said Jamie Rappaport Clarke, executive vice

president of Defenders of Wildlife, who directed the U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Service in the Clinton administration.

"It's selecting a group of species, only those that are hunted and fished,

to give White House attention to," she said. "I would have expected some

executive leadership on things like global warming and conservation of all

biological diversity."

In the 2008 presidential race, Democrat Bill Richardson has made a point of

calling himself a recreational hunter and aired a television ad with scenes

of him hunting in the West.

Republican Mitt Romney said he hunted rabbits and varmints but has been

criticized for calling himself a lifelong hunter. He never had state hunting

licenses where he lived.

Bush's order mostly affects the Interior and Agriculture departments, which

manage 700 million acres of land - an area slightly more than double the

size of Alaska. They have now been put on notice to seek any chances for

more hunting of wildlife, waterfowl, big game and upland game birds when

considering state and federal land management plans.

"Outdoor activities, like hunting, can provide tremendous benefits to both

individuals and to wildlife conservation," Interior Secretary Dirk

Kempthorne said.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said the idea behind it was to perpetuate

"a natural balance among hunter, habitat and wildlife."

The president's order raises the profile of the Sporting Conservation

Council, which the agencies were directed to consult with "as appropriate"

when looking to expand hunting.

The Interior Department created the 12-member council last year as an

advisory panel. Its members include officials from hunting groups such as

the National Wild Turkey Federation, the National Rifle Association and

Ducks Unlimited.