Sportsmen Unite To Defend Wildlife Habitat Management
Wildlife Legislative Fund of America

The Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC), the Ruffed Grouse Society and the Wildlife Conservation Fund of America (WCFA) became involved in a lawsuit in late January in support of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The action is in response to a suit filed in early October against the MDNR and USFWS by the Sierra Club. If successful, the suit could halt wildlife habitat management practices on state lands in Michigan.

Commercial timber sales are regularly used to provide dense, young forest habitats required by ruffed grouse, white-tailed deer, and many non-game wildlife species. The Sierra Club alleges using forest management practices to create these habitats is destructive. The suit further contends the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Fish and Wildlife Service have violated federal law by using monies collected from sportsmen through excise taxes on firearms and ammunition to fund these habitat management projects.

MUCC Executive Director James Goodheart explains, "The Sierra Club's lawsuit is a deliberate attempt to stall the pace of wildlife management. Wildlife within our forestlands have been successfully managed for decades first by the Department of Conservation and then by the DNR. We do not need to federalize management of our natural resources."

We are concerned that this lawsuit may impede the development of critically important wildlife habitats on state lands in Michigan," stated Adam Bump, Regional Wildlife Biologist for the Ruffed Grouse Society in Michigan. "By proactively managing our state forests, we can ensure the proper balance between young and old forests, and provide habitats for all forest

wildlife."

The WCFA echoed these sentiments. "The idea that wildlife management would suffer by denying the use of sportsmen's dollars is unconscionable," said Rick Story, WCFA vice president. "WCFA and its partners will continue to fight to ensure that every dollar made available from sportsmen is used to the benefit of wildlife and the management programs that support it."

The Ruffed Grouse Society and MUCC represent over 120,000 sportsmen and sportswomen. They join forces with the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America's 1.5 million aggregate members represented through its legal branch, the Wildlife Conservation Fund of America.

The Ruffed Grouse Society is an international wildlife conservation organization dedicated to improving the environment for ruffed grouse, woodcock, and other forest wildlife. For more information on the Ruffed Grouse Society, visit www.ruffedgrousesociety.org or call 1(888)-564-6747.

MUCC is the largest statewide conservation organization in the nation. Its mission is uniting citizens to conserve Michigan's natural resources and protect our outdoor heritage. For more information on MUCC, visit www.mucc.org or call 517/371-1041.

The WCFA protects and defends America's wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits that finance these efforts -- hunting, fishing and trapping - through public education programs, legal defense and research. Its companion organization, the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America, provides

legislative lobbying and grassroots coalition support to defend and advance hunting, fishing and trapping. For more information on WCFA or WLFA, visit www.wlfa.org or call (614) 888-4868.

(posted March 2001)