SCI Members Rally Against Harmful “Cottonwood” Rule
In response to a series of court decisions known as “Cottonwood,” Safari Club International (SCI) submitted over 1,000 comment letters from our nationwide membership to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in support of their new rule that would combat the effects this harmful litigation has had on active forest management.Â
The Cottonwood decision, if left unchallenged, poses a serious threat to the advancement of forest management initiatives such as wildfire fuel reduction missions and forest habitat development projects crucial to the survival of big game, game birds, and other forms of wildlife.Â
Without management, our public lands will become highly susceptible to disastrous wildfires, insects, and infectious diseases. These lawsuits have also significantly undermined federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from cooperating with wildlife and sportsmen advocacy groups like Safari Club International (SCI).Â
SCI agrees with the FWS that the final rule must respect professionals at federal wildlife and land management agencies by not further imposing guidelines that are subject to the Endangered Species Act’s consultation requirements.
Safari Club International is a U.S.-based organization of more than 50,000 hunters dedicated to protecting the right to hunt and to promote wildlife conservation worldwide. Between SCI and its sister organization, the SCI Foundation, we have put more than $70 Million on the ground for conservation since 2000. In the U.S. and abroad, hunters are part of a system that keeps the rivers, forests, and fields intact and maintains the wildlife.