Sunday, April 08, 2007

Hunter Heritage Foundation a Benefit for Alaska Hutners

According to Alaska Fish and Wildlife News, the Alaska Hunter Heritage Foundation "has raised about $1.5 million and has spent virtually all of it on programs specifically designed to promote conservation of Alaska’s wildlife by recruiting and educating new hunters and maintaining the enthusiasm of existing hunters."

Why is a state wildlife agency partnering with a the foundation?

"For many decades, hunters have been the backbone of wildlife management. People who understand and enjoy wildlife are the most effective advocates for wildlife habitat protection and responsible wildlife management, and nobody knows wildlife like hunters do. Hunters also recognize the importance of trained professionals gathering and analyzing the scientific data that are the basis for modern management, and they put their money where their mouths are, in the form of license fees, sporting goods excise taxes, and outright donations to a variety of organizations dedicated to the abiding health of wildlife. Hunters led the first wildlife conservation efforts in this country, and they continue their strong support today. And in the process of nurturing hunted species, they do an immeasurable benefit to non-game wildlife as well.

By holding successful fundraising events and using that money strategically, the Foundation has become the premier Alaska sponsor of outdoor sporting educational programs, such as those noted above. They’ve even begun an Oral History Project to document and preserve Alaska’s rich hunting and trapping heritage by interviewing long-time Alaskans who spent their lives making a living from the Great Land. But the Foundation’s prime function is to create and assist hunters."

Read the entire article >>>

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