U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the newly appointed members of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council. The Council was established on January 9, 2018, and is intended to provide the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture with advice regarding the establishment and implementation of existing and proposed policies and authorities with regard to wildlife and habitat conservation.

The Council will also examine ways to benefit wildlife resources; encourage partnership among the public, the sporting conservation organizations, state, tribal, territorial and federal government and benefit recreational hunting and recreational shooting sports.

“We have assembled here some of the best conservationists in America,” Secretary Zinke said. “Over a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt established the American conservation ethic—best science, best practices, greatest good, longest term. These sportsmen carry on the American conservation ethic in the modern day. Bringing these experts together will be key to ensuring the American tradition of hunting and shooting, as well as the conservation benefits of these practices, carries on.”

“America’s hunters and recreational shooters have a champion in Secretary Ryan Zinke,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. “Zinke is fighting for our sportsmen and women to have greater access to our public lands. I am pleased to work with the Trump Administration’s new Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council to make it easier for Americans to enjoy our public lands.”

The members of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council are listed below:

Members 

  • Mike Budzik – Retired Chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
  • Chris Cox –  Executive Director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA)
  • Jeff Crane- President of Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF)
  • John Devney – Vice President of U.S. Policy for Delta Waterfowl
  • Dan Forester – Vice President and Chief Conservation Officer for the Archery Trade Association
  • Ward “Trig” French – Chairman of the Hunter’s Leadership Forum
  • Julie Golob -World and National Shooting Champion, Team Smith & Wesson
  • John Green -CEO of Crossroads Strategies; Board member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation; Former Policy Advisor for the Senate Majority Leader- specifically in conservation policy
  • Dale Hall – CEO of Ducks Unlimited and former Director of the USFWS
  • Blake Henning – Chief Conservation Officer for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
  • Graham Hill – Principal and Founding Partner- Ice Miller Strategies LLC; Board of Directors for the National Rifle Association
  • Larry Keane – Senior Vice President for Governmental and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary, and General Counsel for National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF); General Counsel, Corporate Secretary for Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institutes, Inc (SAAMI); Serves on Board of Directors for Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
  • Bob Model – Former President of the Boone and Crockett Club Miles Moretti President and CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation and a previous Deputy Director of Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources
  • Collin O’Mara  – President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation
  • Donald Peay – Founder and Former CEO of the Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (SFW)
  • Eva Shockey  – Co-Host of Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures on Outdoor Channel
  • David Spady – President of the Liberty and Property Rights Coalition

Alternates 

  • Jack Atcheson – Board member of the National Wild Sheep Foundation
  • John Banks – Director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Penobscot Indian Nation
  • Becky Humphries – CEO of National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)
  • Rob Keck – Director of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops
  • Paul Phillips- President, Founder, Co-owner- Pac/West Communications
  • Keith Tidball – Professor- Cornell University, Natural Resources and Environment
  • Jana Waller – Host of Skull Bound TV on Sportsmen Channel and Hunting Guide
  • Kristy Titus – Host of Pursue the Wild; Board Member of the National Rifle Association’s Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Committee
  • Dianna Muller – Captain of Team Benelli; World and National Champion competitor shooter
  • Wayne Hubbard – Co-Founder of Urban American Outdoors TV (UAOTV)
  • Mark Williams – Commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources

The Council, which will meet twice a year, is strictly advisory and the duties will consist of providing recommendations for implementation of Executive Order No. 13443 (E.O.): Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation, Secretarial Order No. 3347: Conservation Stewardship and Outdoor Recreation and Secretarial Order No. 3356 (S.O.): Hunting, Fishing, Recreational Shooting and Wildlife Conservation Opportunities and Coordination with States, Tribes and Territories.

Recommendations from the Council to the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture shall include, but not be limited to, policies and programs that:

  • Conserve and restore wetlands, agricultural lands, grasslands, forests and rangeland habitats;
  • Promote opportunities and expand access to hunting and shooting sports on public and private lands;
  • Encourage hunting and shooting safety by developing ranges on public lands;
  • Recruit and retain new shooters and hunters;
  • Increase public awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation and the social and economic benefits of hunting and shooting;
  • Encourage coordination among the public, hunting and shooting sports community, wildlife conservation groups, state, tribal, territorial and federal government.