U.S. Sportsmens Alliance Foundation
801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229
Ph. 614/888-4868 Fax 614/888-0326
Website: www.ussportsmen.org E-mail: info@ussportsmen.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Greg R. Lawson (614) 888-4868 ext. 214
October 13, 2007 Sharon Hayden (614) 888-4868 ext. 226
Sportsmen Fight another Lawsuit by Antis Seeking to Ban Hunting and Trapping
(Columbus, Ohio) The U.S. Sportsmens Alliance Foundation has filed to represent sportsmen in yet another lawsuit brought by animal activists seeking to eliminate hunting, fishing and trapping wherever endangered or threatened species exist. The Maine based case mirrors another case from the state that was settled last October, with the plaintiff groups sharing key personnel with the plaintiff from that case. In both, the plaintiffs attempted to stop trapping altogether in Maine due to the incidental taking of the federally protected Canada lynx.
On October 10, the U.S. Sportsmens Alliance Foundation (USSAF) asked a U.S. District Judge for permission to join a federal lawsuit brought by two anti hunting groups, the Wildlife Alliance of Maine and the Animal Welfare Institute against the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. This lawsuit comes on the heels of a similar case brought previously by a third anti hunting group, the Animal Protection Institute (API), which also sought to stop trapping.
USSAFs Legal Defense Fund (U.S. SLDF), Fur Takers of America (FTA), the National Trappers Association (NTA), the Maine Trappers Association (MTA), Sportsmans Alliance of Maine, and several individual sportsmen joined together to fight the API suit. As a result of those efforts and that of the State, the case was settled under an agreement that restricts trap sizes in areas where Canada lynx exist rather than close down trapping altogether.
Unfortunately, these groups are joined at the hip with API. They share key personnel and use the same expert witnesses, said Rob Sexton, USSAF vice president for government affairs. You cant just keep re-filing the same case whenever youre unhappy with an outcome, especially after you agreed with the decision at the time. Yet thats what theyre doing. The new case is nothing more than a second bite at the apple for them.
Both the API case and the new one deal with serious legal issues regarding the possible use of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to ban all hunting, trapping, and fishing whenever there is a possibility of incidentally taking an animal that falls under federal protection.
As Mr. Sexton indicates, Once more the antis are striking at trapping, but like the API case, if they win here, the precedent will be set to attack all forms of hunting and fishing.
The USSAF has filed to join the case, along with the MTA, FTA, NTA, and individual sportsmen Dana Johnson, Sr., Donald Dudley, and Carl Guay.
The U.S. Sportsmens Legal Defense Fund is the nations only litigation force that exclusively represents sportsmens interests in the courts. It defends wildlife management and sportsmens rights in local, state and federal courts. The U.S. SLDF represents the interests of sportsmen and assists government lawyers who have little or no background in wildlife law.
The U.S. Sportsmens Alliance Foundation is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmens organizations that protects and advances Americas heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping.
And like North winds, this is something that will never go away.