A coalition of AZSFWC member groups came together over a year ago in anticipation of something coming down the pipe from HSUS. The plan they put in place then, along with a strong grass roots effort by a number of individuals and other groups, defeated HSUS in their attempt to hijack scientific wildlife management in our state. This is no small feat because in 25 years and 81 initiatives across the country, HSUS has never quit – until now. When sportsmen and women come together, good things happen. But this victory is just the beginning, and there is much more to do.
Out of our joint efforts, Conserve and Protect Arizona was formed, which is a 501(c)(4) organization whose mission is to protect our conservation heritage. Two of the key components they will concentrate on include educating the non-hunting public on the importance of scientific wildlife management at the AZ Game & Fish Department and securing a legislative remedy to ensure the AZ Game & Fish Department can use science to manage wildlife, and not be subjected to emotion based ballot box management. https://conserveandprotectaz.org/ We hope sportsmen and women will remain united and help us move forward with those efforts because we know groups like HSUS will not go away. We are confident that while HSUS folded on this particular effort, they will continue to use this issue for fundraising. They are adept at raising large amounts of money off the backs of unsuspecting donors, and Humane Watch has exposed many of their tactics. You can read about it at https://www.humanewatch.org/ And we know their ultimate goal is to eliminate hunting across the country. Former CEO and President of the HSUS, Wayne Pacelle was quoted in the spring of 2004 with this:
“We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States…We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped in California. Then we will take it state by state.”
As the HSUS continues their fundraising efforts for a possible comeback in 2020, sportsmen and women need to continue educating their family, friends and neighbors about the importance of keeping wildlife management in the hands of over 350 biologists at the AZ Game & Fish Department. You can find resources on our website as well as Conserve and Protect Arizona and the AZ Game & Fish Department.